Predator and Prey
by cheri1
Summary: Eleven/Rose with Amy/Rory and River and Jack. The TARDIS pulls the Doctor, River and the Ponds to a mysterious planet where the Doctor runs into an old lover on the run from an old enemy. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Wake up, Mrs. Pond."

Amy's eyelids fluttered open and she smiled when she saw Rory standing over here. She was lying in their bed in their bedroom on the TARDIS and she had been asleep for several hours after a night of passionate lovemaking with her husband. Last night was their six month anniversary and they decided to celebrate the milestone with an intimate dinner, champagne and sex. Amy groaned while she stared at her husband.

"Rory, come back to bed, it's still early," Amy said before she pulled the blanket up over her head.

"It's almost noon," Rory said.

Amy lowered the blanket until it was down past her eyes and she gave her husband a dubious look. Rory showed her his wristwatch and she groaned when she read the time and realized Rory was right.

"So, come back to bed anyway," she said, jerking the blanket back over her head.

"What about the Doctor?"

"Screw the Doctor!"

Amy quickly lowered the blanket and saw the bemused look on her husband's face.

"I meant that metaphorically," she said, pointing up at his face.

"I'm glad because the Doctor will regenerate the moment he climbs into bed with you…Amy, don't you dare," Rory said when Amy began to giggle. "Don't call my bluff. I mean what I say."

"Blast, I was hoping there would be a furious battle over me between you and him," Amy said, turning on her side away from Rory. "Anyway…the Doctor will be fine. Just come back to bed and pretend it's still three in the morning."

"No, I'm going to go find the Doctor before he finds us. I'm sure he'll want to go exploring and he'll want us to tag along. See you later, Amy."

"Oh…bollocks!" Amy muttered as she threw back the blanket and got up.

Rory chuckled and gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek. He waited until she got dressed before the two of them walked up to the console room. While they headed towards it, they were shocked when River turned a corner up ahead of them. River gave them a warm smile.

"Did you finally wake up?" she said to them.

"Uh, yeah," Amy said. "When did you get here though? You weren't here when we went to bed."

"I know. The Doctor told me he got bored after you went to sleep and came and got me. I was glad to leave Stormcage but…"

"Yeah?" Rory said when River trailed off.

"Well, we had a nice dinner and a nice chat and a…bit of a cuddle but…he's in the living room now watching some idiotic program and yelling at the telly like a little child so I was heading back to my bedroom to relax."

"He's yelling at the telly?" Amy said.

River rolled her eyes and nodded. Amy shared a glance with Rory and the two of them turned and headed towards the living room with River following behind. When they neared the living room, they heard the Doctor yelling.

"NO! NO, THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" they heard him bellow.

Amy gave Rory and River a confused glance.

"Go on in and you'll learn why he's doing that," River said, pointing to the doorway.

Amy walked to the doorway and Rory and River joined her there. The Doctor was standing in front of a huge plasma TV with a shocked look on his face. Amy glanced at River and Rory and the three of them silently moved inside the room.

"No! This is beyond believable!" the Doctor was yelling at the screen. "This shouldn't have happened! It's criminal."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Amy cleared her throat loudly. He looked at her and Rory and finally at River who was snickering softly.

"Go ahead, Sweetie, tell the Ponds why you're yelling at the telly," River said gleefully.

"Um…well, I was just watching Centauri Falls," the Doctor said sheepishly while he gestured to the television, "and well…Krista is going to marry Rando and I disagree with that."

"And what exactly is Centauri Falls?" Amy asked him.

The Doctor glared at River when she sniggered at that and gave him a smug look. He looked at Amy who was waiting patiently for him to answer her and shifted his foot slightly while he cleared his throat.

"It's…uh…my favorite soap opera," he muttered as he looked at the floor.

"Soap operas? You watch soap operas?" Amy said, bemused. "Didn't figure you for the soap opera watching type."

"Yes, well, everyone has their guilty pleasures, don't they?" the Doctor said defensively while River sniggered.

"I s'pose but I never thought you would yell at the telly like that," Amy said.

"Well, I'm not the only one that yells out random phrases. You yell random phrases whenever you and Mister Pond are bonking each other in the dead of night," the Doctor said.

River chortled when Amy turned a deep shade of crimson and Rory coughed and looked away. The Doctor smugly patted her on the shoulder and was about to walk out of the room when suddenly the TARDIS lurched violently. River grunted when the Doctor fell into her and Rory grabbed onto Amy as they both fell to their knees.

"Now what?" River said as they tried to get to their feet. "I swear, Doctor, one of these days you're gonna have to take this thing in for a complete overhaul before we all end up dead."

The Doctor ignored her and got to his feet. Everyone followed her while he staggered out the door and headed towards the console room. By the time they got there, the TARDIS had landed and had fallen silent. The Doctor began running a diagnostic to make sure she was functioning while River checked the scanner.

"Icecap Five according to the scanner, ever heard of it?" River asked the Doctor.

"Nope," the Doctor said as she stepped away from the scanner and the Doctor looked at it. "The TARDIS is fine. She just suddenly had the urge to come here it seems."

"Why?" Rory said.

"Not sure but the old girl usually has her reasons. I have a feeling if the planet is called Icecap Five that it's going to be a smidge cool outside so everyone better dress accordingly."

"You mean we're going to go outside?" Rory said.

"Duh, Rory, why wouldn't we go outside," Amy said before the Doctor could answer him.

"But you don't know what's out there," Rory said to the Doctor.

"Hasn't stopped him before…" Amy said before the Doctor could speak.

"Can I say something, Pond? I am capable of speaking for myself, you know," the Doctor said while River giggled. "Yes, we're going outside and yes, I don't know what's out there but something has drawn the TARDIS's attention here which makes it important. You've traveled with me long enough to know that there might be danger and I trust that you'll be able to handle any danger if it rears its ugly head. On the other hand, you lot can stay inside and I'll investigate, it's your choice."

"No way you're going out there alone," River said. "Who knows what'll happen if you're left to your own devices."

"Gee, thanks so much for the vote of confidence, River," the Doctor said dryly. "Pond? How about you?"

"Yeah, I'll come with ya, I'm curious," Amy said.

The Doctor gave Rory a pointed look. He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll come, I know I'll never hear the end of it from Amy if I don't," he said.

"Fine. Then get suited up and let's see what lies beyond the TARDIS doors," the Doctor said.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"So…get it a bit wrong, did ya?" Rory said to the Doctor.

They had stepped outside in full winter gear only to find themselves in the middle of a lush green field on a warm sunny day. The Doctor was perplexed while River and Amy tried to hold their laughter in. The Doctor spun around in a circle taking in the green grass, wildflowers, butterflies flitting over the wildflowers and the bright sun in the sky above them.

"See, this is what happens when you don't do a proper check of your surroundings, Mister Know-it-all," Rory added when the Doctor didn't say anything.

"On the other hand," River said, "if he had done a proper check, we would have been denied the sight of his confused face. That alone was worth coming out here."

"Okay," the Doctor finally said, "why is this place called Icecap Five when there's nary an icecap in sight?"

"It's a joke?" Amy said. "Someone named this place Icecap Five as a joke?"

"Perhaps. But more likely the planet used to be an ice planet and warmed up with time," the Doctor said. "But that's beside the point. Come. Let's shed our unnecessary winter clothes and find out why the TARDIS led us here."

After going back inside and taking off their winter gear, they emerged and began to search for anything unusual. They split up into two groups, the Doctor and River and the Ponds going different ways. Amy and Rory went to the left while the Doctor and River went to the right.

"What are we supposed to be looking for," Rory said to Amy as they walked through the tall grass. "Are we even on another planet? Seems like Earth to me."

"You were the one who wanted to get out and explore. I voted for staying in bed, remember?"

"Well, even if we had stayed in bed, the Doctor would have gotten us up the moment the TARDIS went wonky," Rory said. "I just wish he would do a more thorough check before taking us outside. He got the temperature wrong, what else could he have gotten…"

He didn't finish his sentence because he tripped over something at his feet that was hidden in the tall grass. Amy tried to catch him as he stumbled but Rory cursed when he fell to his knees. They looked back and Amy slowly walked back to the obstacle that was still hidden in the tall grass.

"Amy, be careful," Rory said as he got to his feet and followed her.

Amy parted the grass and was shocked when she saw a young woman. Half her face was obscured by her long, blonde hair but Amy could tell she was unconscious. She could also see a couple of bruises on her face and arms and she noticed she was wearing a one piece white jumpsuit that was torn in a couple of spots. She glanced at Rory when he came up beside her. He stared at her for a moment before calling for the Doctor and River to come to them. River jogged up to them while the Doctor followed behind her. She got to Amy first and bent over to look at the woman.

"I think we found what we're looking for," River said to the Doctor before turning towards him.

She froze when she turned around and noticed the Doctor was staring at the woman with a shocked look on his face. He had gone pale and his body had frozen.

"Doctor?" Amy said when he didn't move or say anything.

"It can't be," the Doctor murmured as he pushed past River and knelt by the woman.

"Doctor?" Amy said. "Are you alright? You've gone pale."

"I know this woman," the Doctor said, smoothing back her hair.

"Oh? Who is she?" River said.

"A…friend," the Doctor said, aware that River was now looking over his right shoulder at the woman while she scrutinized her. "Her name is Rose."

"I see. So…your friend lives here?" River said.

The Doctor kept a neutral expression on his face when River looked at him. He knew she was studying his face, trying to find out if Rose was more than a friend to him and the last thing he wanted was a jealous River ranting and raving at him about his former lover.

"No," the Doctor said, keeping a calm demeanor. "She doesn't belong here. She…traveled with me and was lost when she was sucked into another universe. "

"Then how did she get back?" River said with a frown. "I thought it was next to impossible to cross into other universes."

"It is but there are ways," the Doctor said. "She did make it back over one time but the walls of the universes were breaking down and she could use a dimension cannon to cross the void."

"She crossed the void into this dimension?" River said in shock.

The Doctor nodded.

"So she's been here awhile?" River said, trying to figure out what the Doctor wasn't telling her.

"No, I sent her back," the Doctor said.

"What? Why?" River said.

"It's…a long story, okay? I'll explain later but right now, Rose is injured and I want to make sure she's alright."

River nodded but she still sensed that there was more to this woman than the Doctor was telling them. She held her tongue and she and the Ponds stepped back while the Doctor gathered Rose in his arms and picked her up. They walked back to the TARDIS and the Doctor ignored everyone while he climbed the steps and headed back to the med bay. When he was gone, River turned to the Ponds.

"Any idea what's going on here?" she asked them. "Do you know that woman?"

"Never seen her before in my life," Amy said with a shrug.

"Did he ever mention her?" River said.

Amy and Rory shook their heads.

"Why? Do you think something's wrong?" Rory said.

"Dunno. I just have a feeling that there's more to Rose's story than he's telling us," River said, glancing up at the doorway. "I know most of the time you have to pull the boy's teeth before he gives out personal, intimate details but suddenly, I'm curious about this woman and what her relationship to the Doctor is. Because I have a feeling it's a bit more than platonic."

"You think he's just gonna tell ya if it isn't," Amy said.

"No," River said. "Like I said, I could be holding a drill to his crotch and he still wouldn't tell us what he wants kept private. We'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open. Perhaps Rose will tell us after she recovers from her ordeal. Until then, I'll be in my room. See you later."

She headed up the steps to the back door and Amy followed her. Amy stopped her just inside the back door.

"Look," Amy said. "I know you fancy the Doctor but what will you do if this Rose really is a former lover of his? I mean, you've never met her before, have ya?"

"No, I haven't," River said. "And I realize that the Doctor had a life before he met me. I just want to know if this relationship is dead or if there's still some life in it."

"And what will you do if it isn't dead?" Amy challenged.

She noticed the pain in River's eyes and realized she said that a bit too harshly.

"Look. I'm only saying that the Doctor is his own man and he loves who he loves. I found that out all too well when I tried to start a relationship with him. Don't vilify Rose, alright? Especially since you don't know her and know her story."

River nodded and put her hand on Amy's shoulder. She gave it a loving squeeze and gave her promise that she wouldn't vilify Rose or badger the Doctor about any relationship with her. She told Amy she would see her later before she headed down the corridor to her room. Amy watched her go and then decided to go and speak to the Doctor herself and let him know what was going on. She told Rory where she was going before heading off towards the med bay.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Doctor finished putting an IV in Rose's right arm. He had shoved up the sleeve of her bodysuit and started a drip that contained medicine to help her internal organs heal. He checked the dark blue liquid to make sure it was running smoothly into her vein and then he walked up towards her head. He stared at her and laid his hand on her side of her head.

"Oh, Rose, why did you come back?" he murmured as he stared at her bruised face. "I told you to stay with the clone. Can't you listen to me for a change and do as I say before you cause all of reality to implode?"

"Doctor?"

The Doctor took his hand away from Rose's head when he heard Amy's voice. He stepped back and smiled warmly at her when she entered the med bay.

"How is she?" Amy said, walking over to Rose.

"She'll live. She has several bruises and a concussion but no broken bones and no serious injuries. She's fortunate in that regard since the scan seemed to indicate she'd fallen from a pretty considerable height."

"How? There wasn't anything tall near her," Amy said.

"She might have fallen through a crack in reality," the Doctor said.

"Wait, crack? You mean the cracks in time are back?" Amy said, panicked.

"No, this is different," the Doctor said, holding up his hands reassuringly. "Sometimes small tears can form in the fabric of reality. Most of them heal almost instantaneously but some remain long enough for someone to travel through them. Rose must have found one and propelled herself through it. I'm guessing the rip was in the air above Icecap Five and she fell to the ground. She knocked herself out but she'll recover."

"But why would she do that? You said she was stuck in another universe, did she do this to get back to you?"

"Probably," the Doctor said with a sigh.

"Is she…was she…"

Amy noticed the Doctor stiffened and she sensed he was becoming defensive. She held up her hand.

"I won't tell, especially River. She suspects you might have had a relationship with Rose and I told her not to treat Rose badly because of that."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"My relationship with River is complicated enough without Rose becoming a part of it," he muttered.

He noticed that Amy was waiting for a response to her question and he walked over to the door. He looked out to make sure they were alone and came back to her side.

"Yes. She and I had a relationship," he said softly. "But she was taken from me when she was sucked into another universe and I had to move on with my life. She came back again and I was happy to see her. But she came back because the universes were in danger of being wiped out and she knew I could stop it. But in a very complicated turn of events, I ended up with a clone of myself and I sent her back to the other universe with the clone so she could watch over him. I thought that was the end of it and I moved on again. When River came along, I became fond of her and I decided to have a relationship with her but I never imagined that Rose would find her way back to me again and now I have two women in the same TARDIS that I shared a relationship with and one of them is deeply jealous and possessive. Well…actually, both of them are like that, I suppose. But now, I find myself in an uncomfortable position so I thank you for asking River to please not start a catfight with Rose. Especially since the two women have never met before. The last thing I want is to referee a battle royale between the two of them."

"You said the last time she did this she needed your help. What if she needs your help again?" Amy said.

"It's possible. I just wish she wouldn't risk all of reality coming here. You can destroy all of reality if you come through a rift that isn't stable. Still, I am glad to see her again. Except…I wonder why she's wearing this thing?" he said, pointing to the bodysuit. "I've never seen her wear anything like it. Makes me think you may be right about her coming to find me because she's in trouble. For the moment though, we need to let her rest and recover from her injuries."

Amy nodded. She promised the Doctor that she wouldn't tell the others what he revealed and the Doctor gave her a grateful smile as he patted her shoulder. He asked the TARDIS to let him know when Rose woke up and he raised the bedrails on the gurney before covering her up with a light cotton sheet. He smiled lovingly at Rose before he and Amy left the room. They found Rory in the console room. He was sitting on the Doctor's seat and stood up as they were coming down the steps.

"How is she?" Rory said.

"She'll be fine. She has a concussion and a few bruises but with a little rest and some tender loving care, she'll recover. Can you two come with me though? TARDIS, if she wakes up while we're outside, will you flash your beacon?"

The TARDIS grunted and Amy and Rory followed the Doctor outside. They walked back to the area where they found Rose and the Doctor began to scan the area with his screwdriver while Amy filled Rory in on what the Doctor told her, minus the part about the Doctor having a relationship with Rose.

"So you're searching for this rip in time?" Rory asked as he and Amy walked up to the Doctor.

"Yes," the Doctor said, checking the readout on his screwdriver. "I see nothing out of the ordinary. If there was a tear, it must have closed up. Which is a good and a bad thing."

"How?" Amy said. "You said if people came through these tears they could endanger the universe."

"Yes. But if Rose's universe really is being threatened, we have to find another way to get to it. Safely, I might add. We don't want to destroy all of reality."

"Great," Rory said, rolling his eyes. "Never easy, is it?"

"Not usually. But then again, if it were easy it wouldn't be a challenge," the Doctor said. "I can't find anything out here so let's go back inside and I'll ask the TARDIS to try to find a tear large enough for us to go through. Come on."

They went back inside and the Doctor ran a scan, trying to find any anomalies while Amy and Rory walked back to the med bay to check on Rose. On the way, they ran into River and she followed them. When they entered the med bay, Rose was still unconscious. The IV bag was half full now and the room was filled with a soft humming from various devices. The three of them gathered around the gurney and looked at Rose.

"Did you find out anything more about her?" River asked Amy.

"Just his theories on why she might be here. He didn't say if they were in a relationship or not," Amy said, hoping she sounded convincing.

"She's lucky she came through with only a few bruises and a concussion," River said. "She must have needed the Doctor's help badly to try a risky stunt like that. She's very brave, I'll give her that."

They stepped back when Rose let out a soft groan and began to wake up. They watched with silent fascination while she slowly opened her eyes. It took a moment for Rose's eyes to adjust and focus and then she was staring at the three strangers with a confused frown.

"Where am I?" she said.

"The TARDIS," Amy said.

Rose's eyes bugged out. She tried lifting her head up to see around the room but she let out a groan and her head slumped back onto the pillow.

"Head hurt?" Amy said.

"Yeah, a lot," Rose said, grimacing.

"Doctor said you have a concussion," Amy said.

"Where is he?" Rose said.

"He's up front doing a scan," Amy said. "We're his friends. I'm Amy Pond, this is my husband, Rory and this is River Song."

"Rose. Rose Tyler, nice to meet ya," Rose said, closing her eyes. "Sorry, the light is hurting my head."

"Just relax," River said gently. "The Doctor is mending you."

"How did you find me?" Rose said.

"The TARDIS found you. She brought us here," Rory said.

Rose smiled at that.

"Good old TARDIS," she murmured.

"Did you want us to find you?" River said.

"Yeah. Well, I wanted to find the Doctor. Unfortunately, I was in a rush and being pursued at the time and I didn't have time to lock on to the TARDIS."

"Pursued? By who?" Amy said.

"His name's the Valeyard," Rose said, opening one eye slightly to look at Amy. "He's hell bent on ruling the universe I came from and probably all the other universes besides that. He kidnapped me and tried to take my boyfriend and my family. Fortunately, he got away and took my mum, dad and brother with him. At least I hope he got away. We got separated when he tried to hide the piece of coral the Doctor gave us."

"Coral?" Rory said.

"Yeah. It's a piece of the TARDIS. The TARDIS is grown, not made and the Doctor gave me and my boyfriend, John, a piece of it so we could have one of our own."

"Why would he give you and your boyfriend a piece of the TARDIS?" River said.

"Your boyfriend, he's a clone of the Doctor, isn't he?" Amy said before Rose could answer.

"Yes," Rose said. "A half human clone but he still has the Doctor's memories and personality. We were trying to grow the coral and the Valeyard wanted it so he could have a TARDIS that he could use to conquer the universe so John took it and hid it. Or that's what he was doing when I got captured. I have no idea if he succeeded or not. I hope, for all our sakes, he managed to find a place to hide it."

Rose noticed the three of them looked up and away from her towards the door. Her heart raced when she guessed what they were looking up and she turned her head, eager to see the man she loved. Her spirits sank when she saw an unfamiliar man entered the room. But they soared again when the man came to her side, took hold of her hand and introduced himself as the Doctor.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Amy, Rory and River watched Rose while she studied the Doctor.

"You regenerated," she finally said.

"Yes. And this time there was no severed hand to save me," the Doctor said.

"You're younger. You keep getting younger each time you do it. Is that s'posed to happen?" Rose said.

"Um…no, not necessarily. I like to keep myself young now, especially since I am so old," the Doctor said.

"So, how many of his lives have you seen?" River asked.

"Um…three now. I started with his ninth life. But this is the first time I've seen him this way," Rose said.

"Wow. We've only seen this life," Amy said.

"You're not missing anything. He looks like Frankenstein in his other lives," Rose said.

"Oi!" the Doctor said as Rose sniggered. "So…I take it you approve of this body?"

Rose looked him up and down. Her eyes settled on the bow tie and she raised her eyebrow at that. She opened his jacket and looked at his braces for a moment before letting go.

"It'll do," she said.

"Gee, thanks, Rose," the Doctor said dryly while the women giggled. "Now that you've gotten over the shock of seeing me again, suppose you tell us why you're here?"

Rose told him what she told the others. Amy, Rory and River noticed he stiffened when she said the Valeyard and he got a stricken look on his face. Rose noticed the look and stopped talking.

"You know him?" Rose said.

"Bollocks. I shoulda known!" the Doctor said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Huh?" Rose said. "Shoulda known what?"

"That my clone would turn bad and become the Valeyard," the Doctor said.

"What? He's not the Valeyard," Rose said.

"He's not?" the Doctor said.

"No. Why? Was he s'posed to become the Valeyard?" Rose said.

"Um…perhaps. The Valeyard is a possible future version of myself, an evil version."

"Like…the Dream Lord?" Rory said.

"Similar to him but he looked different," the Doctor said. "But…my clone…he's stable? Hasn't turned evil?"

"No. I mean…we've had a few arguments because we're trying to sort out everything since you left us behind but he's not evil and he's certainly not the Valeyard."

"Hmm, interesting," the Doctor said, scratching his cheek thoughtfully. Okay, I have an idea. TARDIS, project a holographic image of the Valeyard into this room so Rose can have a look at him."

A beam of light came down from the ceiling behind the Doctor and they saw a 3D hologram of an older man dressed in black robes with a black skullcap.

"Is this him, Rose?" the Doctor said, pointing to the hologram.

"No, looks nothing like him. He's a bit older than you but he has thinning hair and…actually, he has an outfit similar to yours except darker colors."

"TARDIS," the Doctor said with a sinking feeling, "show an image of the Dream Lord."

The image switched to the Dream Lord and Rose's eyes bugged out.

"Yes, that's him!" Rose said, pointing.

"But you said he wasn't real," Rory said. "It was some projection from your mind when that stuff got on the console."

"Yes, that's true. But…most universes have subtle differences to them," the Doctor said. "In this universe, the Dream Lord was a mental image but in her universe, he's apparently a flesh and blood man. And you said, he was after the TARDIS coral?" he said to Rose.

She nodded and finished explaining what happened to them. The Doctor's eyes flashed anger when she mentioned John leaving her behind when he left to hide the coral.

"He left you behind so you could be at the mercy of a madman?" the Doctor said.

"No, I made him leave me behind. He wanted me to come with him," Rose said. "I stayed behind with Torchwood to try to buy him some time and try to stop the Valeyard and the Valeyard ended up attacking the building and took me hostage."

"He took you because of my clone?" the Doctor said. "Does he know who my clone is?"

"You mean, does he know he's a clone of you?" Rose said.

"Yes."

"I don't think so. I don't think there's another Doctor over there. He was after us because he learned that the TARDIS is a time machine," Rose said.

"So…he doesn't know about the TARDIS, apart from it's a time machine," the Doctor said.

"Yes."

"So…he's not even an alternate version of me. It just happens to be someone that resembles the Dream Lord who calls himself the Valeyard. Like I said, alternate universes, they can be fascinating sometimes. So…he captured you and you managed to escape?"

"I used the dimension cannon. He took control of Torchwood and held me captive. I got free and got to the cannon before he could capture me again. But I didn't have time to do a proper lock on the TARDIS so I set the coordinates for this universe and just hoped for the best," Rose said.

"Rose, you can't keep doing that," the Doctor said.

"I'm sorry but I had to find you. You're the only one who can help us," Rose said. "I'm sorry I risked the universes again but I couldn't think of anything else besides finding you."

The Doctor glanced at his companions who had been listening silently to their conversation. He sighed and laid a hand on Rose's shoulder.

"I should keep on lecturing you for doing this but I am glad you found me," he said. "The main thing we have to do now is find a safe way back so we can stop the Valeyard before he gets the coral away from John. Hopefully, John got it and your family far away from him. The TARDIS is trying to find a way to get back but the problem is we need a way to keep the TARDIS in the other universe without her dying on us. She can't function for long when she's out of her own universe so we need a way to boost her power so she can survive there. That is another thing we'll have to look for. And…you need to recover from your injuries. That shouldn't take long, however. Rory, can you keep an eye on Rose for a moment while the rest of us try to find a power source and a way to get back to the other universe."

Rory nodded.

"Rory's a nurse so he can look after you. I'll be back soon. In the meantime, we need to get this show on the road because I'm sure the Valeyard won't wait for us to get over there before he tries something. Amy, River, come with me. Rory, keep Rose company."

"And change that bow tie," Rose said as the Doctor headed for the door.

"Bow ties are cool!" the Doctor, Amy and River yelled back as they ran out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

While the Doctor, River and Amy stayed in the console room, Rory stayed with Rose and made sure she was comfortable. He took a look at the IV drip and noticed the bag was almost empty. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do when it ran out but he figured the Doctor would be back in to check on them eventually. In the meantime, he got Rose a glass of water and asked her if she needed anything else after giving it to her. Rose shook her head for a few seconds but then had a thought.

"How long have you been traveling with the Doctor?" she said, putting the glass of water down on a small table Rory found and put beside the gurney.

"About a year," Rory said. "Amy traveled with him first and then I joined them later on. Mainly so I could watch over Amy."

Rose chuckled.

"Sounds like my ex-boyfriend, Mickey. I traveled with the Doctor and he was jealous of me spending time with him so he finally asked to come along after about a year. By then the relationship was over and the Doctor and I had grown close but he still thought I needed protecting. Funny thing was, for awhile there, he was the one who needed saving."

Rose noticed Rory's sheepish look and smiled.

"Same with you?" she asked him.

"Well, I admit Amy is better at time traveling than I am. Especially facing down all those aliens and things but I adjusted," he said.

"The reason I was asking how long you've traveled with the Doctor is there was a friend of mine named Donna that traveled with him. Is she still here?"

Rose noticed the nonplussed look on Rory's face.

"I can tell from your expression that you don't know her," she said.

"No, never heard of any Donna. The Doctor never mentioned anyone from his past, except for River. But Amy and the Doctor ran into River several months ago and she travels with us occasionally."

"Donna traveled with him as well and the last time I saw her, she was going back in the TARDIS with him after he dropped me and John off in the other universe. I assumed she was gonna travel with him but maybe she got tired of it."

Rory thought for a moment and then told Rose to wait. He walked out of the room and Rose relaxed and took another sip of water while she waited for Rory to return. But after a few moments, the Doctor came in the room by himself. Rose smiled when he came over to her.

"You didn't follow my suggestion about losing the bow tie," she teased as he reached her side.

The Doctor's eyes sparkled with mirth.

"No, I happen to like bow ties. They are very cool," he said, fingering it. "But we can discuss that later. The reason I came back here is because Rory told me you asked about Donna."

"Yeah, where is she? Is she here?" Rose said.

Rose's heart lurched when she saw the anguished look on the Doctor's face. She reached out and took his hand and the Doctor smiled gratefully at her before finding his voice and explaining what happened to her. The more he told her about Donna's fate, the more stricken Rose looked and the more it hurt the Doctor's hearts. He hated thinking about what happened to his best friend, let alone saying it aloud and the anguished look on Rose's face only added to his angst. When he finished telling her what happened, he fell silent for a moment, trying to rein in his emotions before he broke down and cried in front of Rose. Rose, sensing her lover's frame of mind, struggled to get up so she could hold him. The Doctor quickly snapped out of it and urged Rose to lie back down, insisting he was alright.

"She's alive and she's happy, that's the most important thing," he said, trying to convince himself as much as her. "She's married and I made sure she was financially set for life. Unless…she buys hats. She might spend it all on hats, come to think of it…all those hatboxes she had with her that night that I had to carry into the TARDIS and…what?" he said when he heard Rose giggling.

"You still ramble," Rose said, giving his hand a squeeze. "You changed but there are some things that didn't change."

"Well…I don't change completely every time. I still keep some core elements of me when I change bodies. One of them is my sense of humor and I s'pose my tendancy to ramble on about hats. But it's still me. Just like it was me the last time I changed."

"I missed you so much," Rose murmured as she squeezed his hand. "Did you miss me?"

"Rose…please," the Doctor said, feeling another surge of emotion welling up from within.

"I know you want me to be happy with John and I am happy. But there are moments…moments when I wonder about you and I miss you terribly. I never stopped loving you and I won't till the day I die. John is you in many ways but not entirely and it's those differences I miss. I'm sorry, Doctor, but I can't help feeling this way."

She squeezed his hand again when the Doctor swallowed down the lump in his throat. Rose felt her eyes mist over when the Doctor let go of her hand and for a moment she thought he would turn and hurry out of the room. But instead, the Doctor quietly asked the TARDIS to seal up the door. She watched in wonderment as the door melted away and became a part of the wall. The Doctor then turned back to her and Rose's heart raced when he leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Rose whispered his name lovingly and the Doctor smiled tenderly in return as he laid his nose against her forehead.

"Rose, I had to do what I had to do," the Doctor said. "I can't be with you in the way you want me to be and John can. I want someone there who can grow old with you and not remain young while you age and weaken and die. It's not fair to either of us. I do…love you, Rose. I truly do but I can never truly be yours."

Rose's eyes welled up when he mentioned his love for her and she laid her hand against his cheek while they stared into each other's eyes.

"But you said once, never say never, Doctor. Surely, there's some way that we can work this out? I want to stay here in this universe. If we can't be together, at least let me and John be here where you can visit us from time to time."

"What about your family?"

Rose sighed.

"Mum has her own life now with Pete and Tony. She loves me and I love her but this is what I want and my wishes are just as important as hers. I've tried talking to her and begging her to come with John and me back to this universe if we used the dimension cannon. I even tried convincing her to come with us in the TARDIS once it was fully grown but she'll have none of it. I told her that I wanted to come back here and she and Pete told me that if John and I wanted to do that, they were okay with it. I'll miss them but I miss you as well and the friends I have over here. Donna, Jack, Sarah Jane, Mickey, I miss them as well. Please…once this mess is sorted out and the Valeyard is taking care of, bring us back with you. Don't leave me over there again. I know I won't be able to bear watching you go for the third time."

The Doctor kissed the back of her hand and then kissed her cheek before he walked across the room and retrieved a wooden chair from a desk in the corner. He brought it back and Rose gave him a loving look while he moved the table slightly, sat the chair down beside the gurney and sat down. Rose fingered the hair that hung down the side of his face while the Doctor thought about what he wanted to say to her.

"Rose, I respect your wishes. I don't know if traveling with me is feasible at this time, especially if John is around…but…I will take you back to Earth and help you and John get settled in London or wherever you want to go. I'm not saying I don't want you traveling with me because I do. It's because…things have gotten complicated since you left… very complicated…and there's a few things that need to be sorted out before things get out of hand and become explosive."

Rose stared at him in silent confusion but the Doctor looked down at his hands while Rose stroked his hair.

"Jack is gone, for starters. There was an…incident on Earth that his Torchwood was involved in and he…made a personal sacrifice that nearly killed him and he left Earth. I saw him on a bar on Taurus Maltuna before I regenerated by heaven only knows where he's at now. You can't visit Donna because if she remembers you, she'll remember me and…well, I told you what might happen if she does remember me. Sarah Jane, as far as I know, is alive and well and I s'pose you could visit her and she'd probably welcome the help since she's basically defending the Earth with her son and her friends. But…I'm rambling again. The explosive situation isn't out there, it's in here. It's the reason why I told the TARDIS to seal the door shut so we could be alone."

He looked up and met Rose's concerned and loving look.

"Rose…I have to talk to you about River."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Donna?" Amy said when Rory finished telling her and River what Rose told him.

"Yeah, apparently she traveled with the Doctor at some point. Do you know her?" Rory asked River.

"Nope, don't know any Donna," River said with a shrug.

"Me neither," Rory said. "Makes me wonder how many women have traveled with him."

He and River looked at Amy when she began giggling.

"Oh, I have a rough idea," Amy said. "I was asking the Doctor about that one night and he wouldn't tell me so I tricked him into opening this file on his female companions and…my, my, my there has been a harem in this TARDIS, I can tell you."

"Lovely, the man I fell in love with is an intergalactic pimp," River said, throwing up her hands. "Just wait; he'll have us out on street corners on Alpha Centauri being his bitches before too long."

"I hope you aren't implying I'm one of the bitches," Rory said to her. "I like the Doctor but not enough to get dressed up in hot pants and nylons and go prostitute for him."

"Wait a tic, I do remember Rose's face being mixed in with the other women," Amy said, ignoring her husband. "At least we know she isn't lying or isn't some assassin come to kill us all."

"But that doesn't mean this Valeyard didn't brainwash her or hypnotize her at some point," River said. "She did say she was running away from him after being in captivity. What if her mind's been altered and she doesn't know it?"

"Then I s'pose we'll have to wait and see what happens," Amy said.

"I just hope waiting doesn't mean we all end up with daggers in our backs," River said, glancing up at the back door.

XOXOXOX

Rose got a sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach. She suddenly realized why the Doctor was being secretive and sealing up the room and her spirits fell when she realized her worst fear was coming true. The Doctor was about to speak but she beat him to it.

"You and River are a couple," she said sadly.

The Doctor paused, his mouth hanging open and the words he was going to say dying in his throat. He closed them again and sighed.

"Yes but it's complicated," the Doctor said.

"How complicated?" Rose said.

The Doctor told her what he knew about River beginning with his first meeting with her in the Library. Rose listened quietly, her brow furrowed in confusion while the Doctor told her about River's past being his future. When he finally stopped speaking, Rose remained silent for a moment, taking it all in, while the Doctor watched her.

"Well…" Rose finally said. "I s'pose I have three questions now after hearing all of this."

"And those are?"

"Okay, first question, why is she going backwards in your time stream? Second question, why is she being so secretive about who she is and how she knows you? And third question, are you in love with her because you want to be or because she told you that's what supposed to happen when you were with her in the Library?"

"And I've pondered all three of those questions until I've been driven to distraction and I don't have a definite answer for any of them. I have no idea why she's going backwards in my time stream. I've never met anyone who did that before, at least not with me. I've been trying to get information out of her since the day I met her and most of the time I get told it's spoilers and I'm not supposed to know. As for the third question…I've wondered about that as well. I do like her and I'm fond of her but I've often wondered if I'm letting her near the way I let you near because I do care for her or because it's supposedly destined. Does that bother you, my loving her?"

"Well…I can't say it's pleasant to hear that you're in another relationship and I won't lie that it hurts to hear that you're with River now," Rose said. "But when you dropped me off with John, you wanted me to get on with my life and not look back and I can't fault you for doing the same, especially since you thought I wasn't coming back. I'm just scared that she isn't what she appears to be and she's not telling you the whole truth because she's going to kill you. You said that you were told that she killed a man but she won't say who it is. Well, if your future is her past, what if that means the person she kills is you?"

The Doctor considered that and Rose watched while he put his hands behind his back and paced back and forth beside her.

"It's a possibility. She did say that she killed the best man she's ever known," he mused. Anything is possible, I suppose."

"The other thing that troubles me is you don't seem to mind her using guns," Rose said while the Doctor paced. "You whinged at Jack whenever he used his and you told me you'd rather take the moral high ground and be shot than use a gun. Now you don't mind that she shoots people? Is this a personality change then because the Doctor I knew wouldn't tolerate someone who shot people."

"I've also wondered about that," the Doctor said. "Perhaps I have changed a bit in that regard. I'm not thrilled that she uses guns but I've never jumped on her and lectured her about it like I would have in my previous lives."

"Maybe it's because she told you that you're supposed to be with her so you try to ignore it because you think you're supposed to be a couple? I don't like that you've had to ignore some of your values because of her."

Rose reached out and took his hand when the Doctor stopped beside her.

"I'm not saying this out of jealousy. I'm saying this because I'm afraid she's some brainwashed assassin that's here to kill you and part of the plan is getting you to be comfortable with her use of guns so when your guard is down she'll use it on you. And maybe I'm overreacting but you taught me not to take things at face value and read between the lines. For all we know, she was kidnapped off the street somewhere and brainwashed by someone who hated you to kill ya at some point."

The Doctor nodded and squeezed her shoulder tenderly.

"I've considered most of that and I have considered the possibility of her being an assassin. So far she hasn't done anything but I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. Until something happens that proves otherwise, please treat her as an ally, alright?"

"I will because I don't want to start a fight. I don't want to be the enemy here. I like everyone I've met and I want to be friends with them. But if that woman is an assassin and she turns on you, God help her because I will tear her limb from limb if she hurts you."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Now I have a sadistic hope that she will turn against me," he said before giving Rose a fond kiss on the cheek. "But we can save the attack dog mode for the Valeyard, eh?"

"Believe me, I will be in full attack dog mode when we get back to him," Rose said.

The Doctor chuckled. Rose fell silent and watched him while he took down the empty IV bag and made preparations to remove the needle from her arm.

"Feel better?" the Doctor asked Rose.

"Heaps. I don't know what that was but it worked wonders. I don't even have a headache anymore," Rose said.

"Good."

"Doctor, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?" the Doctor said, going over to a drawer to fetch some supplies.

"How did it happen? Your regeneration?" Rose asked.

The Doctor told her what happened while he took the needle out of her arm and put some gauze and surgical tape over it. Rose gave him a sad smile when he finished.

"You need to stay away from radiation," she said. "That's the second time it's killed ya."

"Yes, well…both deaths were worth it, seeing as how I saved the people I loved," he said, stroking her hair before disposing of the IV bag, tube and needle.

He looked over his shoulder while he opened a hatch and put the items in an incinerator chute.

"Rose, there's something more," he said, closing the hatch.

He turned to her and told her about visiting all his friends before regenerating, ending up with seeing her before she met his ninth self. Rose was confused for a moment and then her eyes widened when the memory of that night came back to her.

"Oh my God, it was you. You were in semi darkness but…oh God…and I thought you were drunk when you were really…"

The Doctor took her hand when her eyes welled up.

"You were dying and I didn't know what was happening," Rose said.

"That was the point. I went back to a point before you knew me so I could say goodbye to you without your interference. You weren't meant to save me, Rose, it was time to change."

The Doctor watched while Rose sat up and held out her arms to him. He smiled and accepted her hug.

"Maybe that's why I was so freaked out when you changed," Rose said as she held him tight. "That first time you changed, maybe I unconsciously recognized you from that night. I wish I could have been with you when you changed."

"You were with me in spirit, just like everyone else. And no tears. I made it through the ordeal and here I am. And you seem to like me, apart from the bow tie."

Rose laughed through her tears.

"Yeah, the whole outfit needs to be redone. You look like a university professor or something."

"Well…I am somewhat distinguished," the Doctor said with a playful poke at her arm. "And I do teach my companions many things so maybe it fits."

"But the TARDIS, can I see what she looks like now since she changed?" Rose said.

"Do you think you're strong enough to sit up?"

"I think so. All the pain and dizziness is gone," Rose said.

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"How about this? That thing you're wearing doesn't suit you. Do you wanna get out of it?"

"In the worst way."

"Okay, why don't you go back to your old room, get changed and have a shower and get freshened up. I haven't told River the true nature of our relationship and I think she deserves to know the truth."

"So she doesn't get into a fight with me."

"Yes and because if we're going to be working together I want everyone to trust each other and if there is any animosity between you and her, I want it taken care of here and now. I don't relish telling her since she's a bit of a hothead and I don't think she'll take it well but it has to be done. She might choose to be deceptive about her past but I won't be deceptive about our past. Is that alright?"

Rose nodded. The Doctor helped her to her feet and let her get her balance. He walked with her for a few minutes and satisfied that she was able to stand and walk without becoming dizzy, he asked the TARDIS to open the door back up. Once the door was opened, Rose headed back to her old room while the Doctor headed towards the console room.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Doctor paused just inside the entrance of the back door and looked down the steps. Amy, Rory and River were standing by the console while they chatted quietly. The Doctor took a deep breath and put a smile on his face before he pranced down the stairs.

"So…TARDIS get any readings yet?" he said to them.

"Not yet," River said. "It's still searching."

"Well, hopefully it won't be much longer," the Doctor said.

"How is Rose?" Rory asked.

"She's fine. She's up and about and went down to her room to change out of that ghastly bodysuit into her normal everyday kit. She'll probably join us soon but first I need to talk to all of you since I had a little chat with her."

"Why? What's going on?" River said.

"We need to clear the air because I don't want any fights in here," the Doctor said.

"Fights?" River said. "Who said anything about fighting? No one is thinking of fighting anyone."

"Good," the Doctor said, "and we're keeping it that way."

"What's this about?" River said.

"I think I know what it's about," Amy said.

River looked at her and she looked at the Doctor for silent permission. The Doctor nodded, happy to have Amy's support. Amy nodded and turned to River.

"The Doctor did have a relationship with Rose. They were lovers," she said to River. "He told me because I came to him and asked but he swore me to secrecy."

"Why?" River said, turning to the Doctor. "You could tell Amy this but you couldn't tell me?"

"I wanted to speak with Rose first and break it to her gently. I didn't want the two of you going at each other's throats the moment I told everyone who Rose was."

"And you think I'm so animalistic that I would just instantly jump at Rose's throat and tear it out because she loved you first?" River said angrily.

"Frankly, I don't know what you'd do, River. I barely know you," the Doctor said. "There are many things you won't tell me and I know you aren't shy about using guns. Not to mention I have seen a bit of a temper with you and I didn't want Rose stomped into goo because she's "the other woman." She's not the enemy here."

"And neither am I," River said angrily. "I do admit that I am a bit upset. Especially since she's a child. Did you have a Lolita complex in your previous lives, Doctor?"

"I wouldn't talk, River. At my age, you're also a child in my eyes," the Doctor said. "And no, I don't have a Lolita complex, as you put it. I fell in love with her because she helped heal me from the trauma of the Time War. She was there for me and I let her in emotionally and I allowed myself to fall in love with her."

"So it was more like the Florence Nightingale effect?" River said. "The patient falling in love with the nurse?"

"And what do you call it when a woman who claims to be from the future tells you that one day you're destined to be a couple and then you end up being a couple? What sort of complex is that, River?"

"I don't understand," River said, frowning.

"I fell in love with Rose without anyone prompting me. You, on the other hand, told me that you and I were lovers. At least you hinted at it when I first saw you."

"So what are you saying? Are you saying you're faking your feelings for me?" River countered.

"No," the Doctor said, sighing. "But you seem determined to nitpick and pull apart my relationship with Rose when I could just as easily do the same with our relationship. I'm not some perverted old man who fell in love with a child. In human years, Rose is hardly a child, she's 25 now."

"And how old was she when you fell in love with her?" River said.

"20. Which still makes her an adult with an adult mind," the Doctor said.

"Okay, she's an adult and you loved her. Do you love her still?" River said.

The Doctor shifted a bit and averted his eyes. River raised her eyebrow.

"So…I take it from your sudden silence and nervousness that you do love her," River said. "So…are we going to have a three way relationship then? Or should I step aside and just let you carry on with her as if nothing happened."

"There's no need for that."

Everyone looked up at the back door when Rose spoke and she walked through it.

"I told the Doctor that I've accepted that he's moved on. I have John and I'm going to make the relationship work. I just want to be friends with you," Rose said. "I came here to get help and that's what I'm focusing on."

"I'm not trying to trivialize what you and the Doctor had. I just wanted to know where I stood in all of this," River said to her.

"He's yours," Rose said. "I just want to be friends with everyone, including the Doctor. That's all I want."

Rory smiled. He climbed the steps and held out his hand to Rose. Rose smiled and shook it. Amy followed suit, climbed the steps and also shook Rose's hand. The Doctor gave River a questioning look. River glanced at him and climbed the steps. Rose stuck her hand out and was shocked when River embraced her and hugged her warmly. The Doctor smiled when Rose returned it.

"I hope that settles everything about being friends," River said when they pulled apart. "The Doctor had a life before me and I can't fault him or you for still having feelings about each other. I haven't had a chance to meet anyone he's traveled with apart from Amy and Rory and it's nice to meet someone who also saw a part of the Doctor that few people get to see."

"You mean…the Doctor in the altogether?" Amy said.

They laughed when the Doctor blushed at that.

"Well, I was talking about the Doctor's deepest emotions," River said, "but yeah, seeing him in the altogether as well. But anyway, welcome back, Rose, and I hope this is the start of a long and lasting friendship."

"I hope so too," Rose said.

"Good, I'm glad that's sorted," the Doctor said with a sigh as he went to the monitor.

Amy, Rory and River started back down. They turned when Rose didn't follow and saw her looking around the console room in awe.

"Wow, this is incredible," she said as she finally followed them down. "Looks nothing like the TARDIS interior I knew."

"Why? What'd it look like before?" Amy said when they reached the glass platform.

"More organic. Like coral and grates for floors. Wow, I can see right through," Rose said, looking down. "Did you choose this?" she said to the Doctor.

"No, the TARDIS did," the Doctor said as he inputted something into the computer. "I had no control over her rebuilding cycle."

Rose walked over to the console.

"So…if she rebuilt everything, how come you have a bunch of doodahs still on your console?" she asked the Doctor. "Didn't she put in a proper console?"

"What are you talking about? This is a proper console!" the Doctor said.

"I mean this," Rose said, pointing to the old typewriter. "She used bits and bobs rather than controls and switches."

"Well, most of the original console components could only be found on Gallifrey and since Gallifrey is no longer around, she has to make do with what she can find. The important thing is it works. So…any other questions,Tyler?"

"Yeah. You said that Jack is still around. I was thinking, is there a way the TARDIS can find him the way she found me. Because I was thinking we might need his help in all this."

The Doctor paused and thought.

"Jack? He might be a bit unreliable at the moment," he said.

"Why? Is this Jack bonkers?" Amy said.

Rose giggled when the Doctor seriously considered that.

"Um…he'd probably say no but sometimes I wondered," he said. "But if you mean will he strip off his kit and go bouncing around the room drooling and defecating in the heat of battle. No, he won't."

"Then what'd ya mean about being a bit unreliable now?" Rose said. "Because of what happened to him?"

"Yes," the Doctor said before he told them briefly about the 456 and Jack sacrificing his grandson.

His companions listened in stunned silence.

"He has a daughter? I didn't know that," Rose said when he finished.

"I doubt many people do," the Doctor said.

"Wait, this 456 alien threat, why didn't you help him and his Torchwood team out if this Jack is your friend?" Rory said.

"Because that was one of the moments in time when I couldn't interfere," the Doctor said. "Trust me, I wanted to, especially since children were involved but I had to step back and let events stand."

"And Jack just took off for parts unknown afterwards?" River said.

"Yes. I expect he's drowning his sorrows in guilt in continuous drinking and sex. To be honest, it makes me angry since I've lost far more than he ever did and I'm still here defending the universe. I understand becoming a bit unhinged from something like that. I did the same after the Time War but it doesn't do him or anyone else any good to just spend the rest of his life in an alcoholic stupor."

"So…let's go find him and talk some sense into him," Rose said with a shrug.

The Doctor grinned at that.

"I like that idea. And…I think seeing you again will help to bring him back to his senses," he said to Rose. "And you're right. If this is the Valeyard we're talking about, we're gonna need all the help we can get and Jack is more than a match for the likes of him. TARDIS, scan for Jack's artron energy signature and take us to him. He's now become first on our list of priorities for the day."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The TARDIS finally located Jack and flew them to another location. When they landed, the Doctor checked the readout on the monitor and groaned.

"Bollocks, I know this place," he said.

"Where are we then?" Rory said.

"Sexus Orgasmic, one of the biggest pleasure planets in the universe," the Doctor said.

"And you know this place because…" Amy said.

The women giggled when the Doctor blushed deeply and cleared his throat.

"Didn't bring you here, did we?"

Rose turned her head when River said that and saw River's mirthful look and wink. Rose grinned.

"Nah. Although, it might have been interesting, given the name. So…why didn't we come here, Doctor?"

"Yeah, you should have taken me here straight away after the Byzantium. Coulda used the holiday."

"Hardy har har," the Doctor said while Rose and River sniggered. "I can see you two are gonna be a handful now that you're chums. Anyway, forget how I know this place. The point is this is a pleasure planet and we're apparently outside one of the harems."

"Ooo, sounds kinky. Mind if Rory and I spend some time inside? Six month anniversary of our wedding, you know," Amy said to Rose and River while Rory blushed.

"No, we are here to find Jack and possibly untangle him from several bodies, male and female and…miscellaneous."

"Want me to go inside?" Rose asked. "I can try to find him."

"Well, there's one problem with that," the Doctor said.

"And that is…" Amy said.

"If Jack's doing what I think he's doing, we just can't go up to him and drag him out. Especially since I have no credits and I think they frown on people going in without paying. However, they most likely have hundreds of sex workers in there and most of these places require you to dress like you're in a harem. So…we go in looking like we belong there, locate Jack and get him out of there."

"Wait," Rory said. "You're saying we're supposed to tart up and pretend we're a bunch of whores so we can get to Jack?"

"Ooo, maybe I will get some fun time with my husband after all," Amy said, elbowing Rose.

"It's not something I relish doing but if it means getting Jack out of there without having to pay any credits, I'm willing to do it," the Doctor said.

"Wait, you're going to tart us up just so you can save a few credits?" River said in disbelief.

"I'm running low on credits, River. The TARDIS is many things but it's not a bank. I'm not suggesting we participate in any orgies while we're in there, just go in and get Jack. That'll do, Pond," the Doctor said, pointing to Amy when he saw the exaggerated pout on her face. "Your bedroom is adequate for whatever sexual escapades you're dreaming up. Now follow me and let's get into costume."

"Ah, ladies, that's more like it!" Jack said drunkenly while a woman in a blue harem girl costume brought him another pitcher of wine and set it down beside him.

Jack was near the back of the brothel. He was completely naked with a satin red sheet over his genitals. He was reclining on several satin pillows that matched the color of the sheet and around him were several females, both human and alien, who were dressed as harem girls. All the girls wore long veils down their backs and had veils over their faces. Jack poured himself another glass of wine and toasted them.

"To my newest companions," he said as he toasted them. "I hope we can have more fun later tonight when I go upstairs."

The women giggled and Jack took a big swig of wine. He sat the glass down and groaned with pleasure when the women began to fondle him and suck on his toes and fingers.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

The Doctor stopped when he found Jack in the throes of drunken ecstasy. His friends stopped behind him and watched. The women were dressed like harem girls and the Doctor and Rory were wearing white harem pants with matching slippers.

"That's Jack? The man on the verge of orgasm?" Rory said, pointing to him.

"Yup," the Doctor said grimly. "Apparently, he's given up on defending the Earth or anything else for that matter."

"Let me talk to him," Rose said, laying her hand on his shoulder.

"Be my guest, Tyler, just don't get caught up in the orgy while you do it."

Rose snorted.

"Not a chance," she said before she headed over to Jack.

The others watched while she walked up to him. Jack sensed her and opened his eyes. Rose was dressed in a powder blue outfit with a heavy veil over the back of her hair and her face and Jack eyed her outfit with a lopsided grin.

"You're new, management send you over?" he said to Rose. "I knew giving the manager a few extra credits would pay off."

"I'm not here to pleasure you," Rose said.

"Oh? What are you here for? More food and drink?" Jack said.

He froze when Rose removed her veils and dropped them at her feet. He shook his head rapidly and stared at her again.

"Jesus, I must be drunker than I thought. You look like Rose Tyler," he said.

"I am Rose Tyler."

Jack's mouth dropped open. Suddenly, he felt self conscious and Rose folded her arms over her chest while he tried to shoo the other women away. The other women groaned and moved away and Jack pulled the sheet up to his neck while Rose raised her eyebrow.

"Funny, you never seemed to be that shy before," she said to him.

"Yeah. Well, wherever you are, the Doctor is sure to be and I don't want him to see me like this."

"Too late, mate," Rose said.

Jack got a horrified look on his face and he looked around for the Doctor while Rose chuckled. She knelt down beside him.

"He regenerated, Jack. You won't know who he is," she said.

"What? Regenerated? Where is he then?" Jack said to her.

"Here, Jack."

Jack's head jerked up and he saw the Doctor, Rory, Amy and River standing in front of him. He looked at Rory and then at the Doctor and back to Rory.

"You?" he said, pointing to Rory. "Are you the Doctor…or did you switch genders and it's the ginger in the back?"

"It's me," the Doctor said, leaning in.

Jack raised his eyebrow and his gaze went down the Doctor's body before he met his eyes again.

"Doc, you got younger. I like it," he said.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing here?" the Doctor said.

"Um…having fun?" Jack said sheepishly.

"Jack, you know better than this," the Doctor said.

"Leave me alone, Doctor," Jack muttered, picking up the wine glass.

He gasped when the Doctor smacked it out of his hand and he glared at the Time Lord. The Doctor returned his glare.

"Look, I'm not a kid, alright? I can do what I want," Jack said.

"Yes, Harkness, you're not a kid and you are not some intergalactic lush that spends his time getting drunk and getting fondled. You have a responsibility to Earth."

"Yeah? Well, I had my fill of Earth," Jack said. "Especially after I lost someone close to me."

"Yes, your grandson, I know," the Doctor said. "Well, I lost family, friends and allies when I destroyed Gallifrey and you don't see me lounging around in a brothel getting pissed while people fondle my wedding tackle."

"You're stronger than I am, bravo. Now will you leave me alone and let me get pissed and fondled in peace?"

"Jack, we need your help," Rose said. "This was my idea because the universe I was living in is being threatened."

"How do you know? I thought you stayed here," Jack said.

"The Doctor…sent me back with the clone."

"You did what?" Jack said to the Doctor. "You sent her back to that other universe after she spent all that time coming here?"

"Yes, yes, I did. I'll explain everything but you need to come with us. One of the most deadliest enemies I've ever faced is loose in the other universe and we need to find a stabilizer and find a way to get over there so we can stop him."

"Have fun," Jack said dismissively.

"Please, Jack," Rose said. "Do this for me. Please help."

Jack studied her for a moment.

"You know, that does look good on ya," he said, pointing to her harem outfit. "Need to wear this more often."

"Jack…" the Doctor said.

Jack sighed. He muttered a curse under his breath while he leaned up from the pillows.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. I'll go. Only because Rose asked me and I would do anything for her," he said.

"See, told ya I could get through to him," Rose said to the others.

The Doctor motioned for Rory to help him and both men helped Jack get to his feet. The women followed behind them while the two men helped Jack shuffle towards the front door.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Rassilon's robe, Jack, you need to pull yourself together," the Doctor said as they helped the naked Jack into the TARDIS.

Jack froze and the Doctor sighed when Jack looked around at the interior.

"TARDIS regenerate too, Doc?" he said.

"Quit calling me "Doc" and yes, she did. Now come inside so we can go," the Doctor said.

"Alright, alright, I can walk, you don't have to help me now," Jack said, brushing them away as River closed the door. "Sheesh! I wasn't going to try to run away. I am naked, you know."

He glanced over and grinned at Amy.

"Howdy, Ginger," he said, extending his hand. "Jack Harkness."

"I wouldn't, Jack. She's married to a very possessive person," the Doctor said, pointing to Rory who was standing beside him at the console. "And get some kit on, will ya? No one is interested in your meat and two veg."

Jack shrugged. He winked at Amy and walked over to the console. Everyone watched while he walked up the second set of steps and out of the room.

"Not shy about exposing himself, is he?" Amy said, coming up the stairs to the console.

"Trust me, he's had a lot of practice exposing himself," the Doctor said. "So…let's see if the TARDIS has any idea of where to find a stabilizer.

He checked the monitor and everyone came up behind him. He looked over his shoulder at them.

"Nosy, much?" he said to them before he turned his eyes back to the monitor.

He made a groaning noise as he read the Gallifreyan writing on the screen.

"What? Is it bad?" Rory said.

"Could be. The TARDIS has a possibility here. Unfortunately, the area she's listing is a known smuggler's paradise. I suspect the stabilizer is probably on the black market there."

"So…we look somewhere else?" Rose said.

"Well...a stabilizer strong enough to sustain a time ship in an alternate reality isn't found at your average Tesco. I'm betting this is our only option," the Doctor said. "Which means this time I will have to get my credit stick recharged because I have a feeling the stabilizer will cost beaucoup credits."

"But if it's a smuggler's paradise, don't you think it'll be populated by people who might know you and want to kill you?" River said. "Not to mention, Sweetie, you don't exactly look like the sort of person who goes shopping for parts on the black market."

"Which is why I need to use a bit of makeup and a change of clothing. Make myself look rougher."

"Blast, there goes the bow tie, I s'pose," Rose said with mock pity.

"I wouldn't talk, Rose. You lot are also getting dressed up. We are all going to pose as space pirates."

"And does that include the randy alcoholic in the back?" Amy said, hooking her thumb at the back door.

"Especially him. He used to be a con man so he'll be the one most equipped to deal with this sort of environment."

"Con man, why doesn't that surprise me?" Amy said dryly.

They looked up as Jack walked out of the back door, dressed in his usual outfit.

"Wow, that's an improvement over the satin sheet," Amy said, giving his outfit an appreciative eye as Jack came down the stairs.

"I'll say," River said. "He's quite handsome."

"Please, don't give his swelled head any more encouragement," the Doctor said to them.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that," Jack said as he walked up to him. "So…what's the plan?"

"First, I want you to take a pill that will cancel the effects of the alcohol on your body. What we're about to do will take a clear head."

"Oh God, I'm beginning to regret leaving the brothel," Jack said.

The Doctor explained their plan. When he finished, Jack gave him a dubious look.

"You're expecting to pass yourself off as a pirate?" he said to the Doctor. "No offense, Doc…Doctor, but you don't look like a rough, hardened space pirate."

"That's where makeup and costumes come in," the Doctor said.

"Yeah and it'll take a bit of makeup and costumes to make you look like a grizzled space pirate. You might have been able to pull it off in your ninth life…but now…you're too…pretty."

"Then I'll be Captain John Smith, the pretty pirate."

The women giggled while Jack gave the Doctor a dubious look. He shook his head.

"Your funeral," Jack said.

The Doctor set a course for the location the TARDIS gave them and all of them walked with him as he left the console room. He took Jack to med bay first and made him swallow a pill that would quickly sober him up. He then led them to the wardrobe room and instructed the TARDIS to lay out outfits for them that would be appropriate for space pirates. The women climbed to the first level of the room and the men to the second. There was a long wooden table near the back of the room. Three outfits were laid out on top of it and on top of the outfits were little cards with their names on it. The three women walked up to them and studied the outfits.

"All leather," Rose said, fingering the black leather bustier that was under her card. "Pirate women wear all leather then?"

"Apparently so," River said, picking up the olive green bustier that belonged to her.

Amy's outfit was red. Each outfit consisted of bustier, leather jacket and leather pants with boots. Each piece of the outfit was all the same color. The TARDIS provided them with folding screens and the three women walked over to them and got changed. When they emerged, they studied each other.

"Not bad," Amy said. "We're a trio of sexy pirates."

"Are we a part of the crew or are we s'posed to be the tarts that travel with the men?" Rose said.

"We better be part of the crew. I'm not going to tell anyone I'm a pirate's whore," River said.

"Ah, why not?" Amy said, nudging River. "If we're the whores, we can call ourselves the Yo Ho Hos!"

Rose bent over laughing at the shocked look on River's face. Then the shocked look melted into a grin and River giggled.

"The Yo Ho Hos, I actually like that," she said. "Yes, I second the idea…as a joke, of course."

"I third it," Rose said, holding up her hand.

"Then it's settled. We are the Yo Ho Hos, the sexiest pirates in the universe," Amy said.

The three women burst out laughing at that.

"Well, at least the women are in a good mood," they heard Jack say above them.

"WE HAVE DECIDED THAT WE SHALL BE KNOWN AS THE YO HO HOS, THE SEXIEST TARTS THAT EVER SAILED THE…UNIVERSE," River yelled up at the ceiling.

They giggled when there was silence from above. A moment later, the Doctor came down to them, dressed in black pants, black leather boots and a white cotton shirt with a black leather jacket. The women laughed harder when he jumped down onto the floor and gave them a long, hard stare.

"I'm beginning to wonder about the three of you," he said. "I'm happy that the three of you have become mates but calling youself the Yo Ho Hos makes me question if I should keep the three of you apart before the three men in this group have to rescue the three giggly women."

"We're merely playing our parts, Sweetie. I mean, look at us. We're all leather clad with our breasts hanging out. I'm assuming we're the old ladies in the group."

"No…actually, you were going to be fellow pirates and equals but if you want to imagine yourself as our tarts and call yourself the Yo Ho Hos, be my guest. Whatever keeps you lot happy. Now…since you are finished with your outfits, I'll take you to the makeup room and put some makeup and perhaps a few dueling scars on your faces. Jack…when you're done, the TARDIS will move the rooms around so you can find us," he yelled upstairs.

"Got it!" Jack yelled back.

"Okay, Yo Ho Hos, follow me!" the Doctor said to the women.

The three women shared a grin and followed the Doctor as he went downstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Okay, we're finished," Jack said as he and Rory entered the makeup room.

Amy and River turned around to look at them. Rose was sitting in a wooden chair in front of a vanity while the Doctor applied makeup to her face. Both women were heavily made up. Amy raised her eyebrow when she saw Rory's outfit. He was dressed in grey pants with a white cotton shirt and black leather jacket and boots.

"Ooo, we'll have to keep this outfit," Amy said, walking up to her husband and fingering the jacket. "We can use it along with the Centurion outfit for our…playtime."

River walked up to Jack and frowned. Jack hadn't changed his outfit. He chuckled when River pointed that out.

"I just got done putting on my clothes and besides, this resembles something a pirate might wear," Jack said, gesturing to his coat. "You three look fabulous."

"We're the Yo Ho Hos," Amy said.

Jack shared a look with Rory when the three women laughed.

"They insist on being called that. I was going to treat them as equals but apparently they're going to be our tarts," the Doctor said to Jack and Rory.

"And…I think that Rose and I should share Captain Doctor since we both have had a relationship with him," River said, walking over to the Doctor.

"I'm Rory's tart," Amy said.

"Where's my tart then?" Jack said.

"I think your tart is anyone else in the universe, you just have to pick one," the Doctor said, glancing at Jack.

Jack flipped him off. The Doctor finished with Rose's makeup and she examined her reflection in the mirror.

"Wow, you're great at this," Rose said to the Doctor. "Don't want to ask how you know how to apply makeup."

"Not that hard. I have been around many beautiful women and I've observed their makeup. Not to mention a few women have given me tips on how to apply it. Rory…"

"Me? You want me to wear makeup?" Rory said, pointing to himself.

"I was thinking along the lines of a five o'clock shadow and a duel scar but if you want some mascara and eye shadow, I'll be happy to oblige."

The women laughed while Rory blushed deeply. Rose got up and stepped aside while Rory sat down. The Doctor grabbed a small grey chest that was sitting on top of the vanity and opened it. He rifled through it and took out a fake dueling scar that was about three inches long along with a tube of spirit gum. They watched while the Doctor set the chest down at his feet and carefully applied the dueling scar along Rory's left cheek.

"So after we get this stabilizer thing, we head to the other universe?" Jack said, coming up behind Rory.

"Yes. The TARDIS is still trying to find a tear in reality so we can cross safely," the Doctor said, carefully putting the scar on Rory's cheek.

"So…have you fought this Valeyard guy before?" Jack asked.

"One version of him. The version in the other universe is slightly different," the Doctor said.

While he finished applying Rory's makeup, he told Jack what he knew about the Valeyard and what Rose had told them. Jack was silent for a moment when he finished speaking and motioned for him to sit in the chair.

"So…at some point you're supposed to turn evil then?" Jack said, sitting down. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's one possible future for me and if you knew me as well as I know myself, you wouldn't find it hard to believe. I have much more darkness within me than any of you know."

"So it's inevitable then?" Amy said.

"No. I have knowledge of the Valeyard which means I can do all in my power to keep away from that eventuality and I will do just that. I have no intention of becoming him. And for the record, I would never hurt any of you or turn rogue and betray you so don't start thinking I will. Everyone has a bit of darkness in them. I just happen to have eleven lives worth…now, what should I do to you then, Harkness?" the Doctor said, studying his face.

"Leave me as I am and let me be the cute one?" Jack offered.

"I'm afraid if I leave you as you are, you'll have plenty of Yo Ho Hos hanging off of you and they won't be anyone from this TARDIS. However, I can't put an identical dueling scar on your face, it would look too suspicious. So…perhaps I will leave you alone then."

"Thank you!" Jack said, getting up. "Never did like makeup. I prefer to work without it."

The Doctor shifted his chair so he was sitting in front of the mirror. They watched while he applied a bit of black powder to his face, giving himself a slight five o'clock shadow. He put a small scar across his cheek and another one above his right eye. He examined his face and then looked in his chest. Everyone watched while he pulled out a large contact lens. The lens was as big as his eye and was a solid red. He put it into his left eye and blinked a couple of times. When he turned and looked at everyone, his left eye looked completely red.

"Whoa, that's freaky looking," Jack said.

"Will this do, am I rougher looking now?" he asked Jack.

"Yup, most definitely," Jack said.

"Good. Now, we'll need your expertise as a con man so you'll have to be the leader," the Doctor said.

"Okay, if I'm the leader, I get your girls," Jack said, pointing to Rose and River.

"Why?" the Doctor asked while Rose and River giggled.

"Because I'm the alpha male of the group and I get the women. Now hand them over," Jack teased as he held out his hand.

"What about Amy then? You're not laying a claim to her?" the Doctor said dryly.

"Eh, don't like gingers. Rory can have her. But I do like blondes. So…ladies…"

Rose and River took both his arms and Jack gave the Doctor a haughty look. The Doctor rolled his eyes. He was about to walk away when suddenly he lunged forward and gave both River and Rose a quick peck on the cheek before cheerfully walking away.

"Ooo, that was a challenge to my authority," Jack said while the women laughed. "I'll have to make you walk the plank for that one."

"Build one and I will," the Doctor said, glancing over his shoulder. "In the meantime, we need to get ready so we can play our parts flawlessly. I've gotten settled into this body and I'm not in a hurry to change it. So come on, back to the control room."

"Ah, finally, I have Rose Tyler to myself," Jack said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

He looked at River.

"Now, you, I barely know but that doesn't mean we can't get more acquainted with each other," he purred.

River raised her eyebrow at the charming look on his face. She looked at Rose.

"Does this happen often with him?" she asked Rose.

"All the bloody time," Rose said.

"Come, my ladies, let us stroll back to the console room, arm in arm. First mate, Rory, come along."

Rory and Amy watched while the three of them walked out of the room.

"Wow, he's a bit cocky, eh?" Rory said to Amy.

"Yeah, but cocky in a cute way," Amy said. "And don't you start, I was joking," she added when she saw the hurt look on Rory's face. "You're the only pirate I'll ever be a tart for."

Rory grinned at that and they shared an intimate kiss.

"Mmm, you're right, the pirate outfit does suit you," Rory said, running his fingers down the lapel of her leather jacket. "Red is most definitely your color."

"And the Jack Sparrow look suits you just fine, Captain Rory," Amy purred.

"Ahem!"

Rory and Amy froze when the Doctor suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I was under the impression the whole pirate tart thing was an act along with being a pirate. We put these outfits on to retrieve a stabilizer not play sex on the high seas. Now get moving before I build the plank myself!"

"Aye, aye, captain," Amy said with a salute before taking Rory's hand and following the Doctor out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Wow! Definitely not a holiday spot," Rory said as he stepped out of the TARDIS with the others.

The TARDIS had landed across the street from a seedy bar. Outside the bar, two rough, bulky men were engaged in an all out fistfight while several others cheered them on. The door to the bar was open and when they looked inside they noticed that no one inside was paying attention to the fight.

"So, I'm assuming this is a regular occurrence," Rory said, gesturing to the fight. "No one inside the pub seems to care."

"I'm sure everyone inside the pub has had their share of fistfights," the Doctor said. "They probably figure it's better to look the other way. So, Captain Jack, where do we go first?"

"I say we go inside and ask around," Jack said, pointing to the open door. "You wanna know where the black market is, the best place to start is the local dive."

"Lead the way, Captain Jack," the Doctor said.

"Ladies," Jack said, hooking his arms.

River and Rose threaded their arms through his and Rory took Amy's hand before walking across the street. Some of the men watching the fight wolf whistled at the women but they stopped when Jack glowered at them and turned their attention back to the fight. When Jack entered the pub, a few of the patrons stopped talking and stared at him while he walked to the bar with his friends. The bartender was leaning on the bar, staring at them with curiosity while they walked up. Jack put on an air of confidence.

"I'd like a Nova with ice," he said to the bartender.

The bartender reached under the bar and brought an empty mug up before walking to a shelf at the back of the bar and reaching for a green bottle of whiskey.

"My crew and me just got here," Jack said. "We're looking for a stabilizer for our space ship. Any idea where we might buy one?"

"Depends on what kind of stabilizer you need, mate," the bartender said as he poured the brown colored whiskey into the mug.

"A warpstar stabilizer, 1st class," the Doctor said.

"Ah, well, your best bet is to try to parts bazaar, mates," the bartender said, putting the mug in front of Jack.

"And where is that?" Jack said.

"Go out the door, go right and go down to the end of the street. Can't miss it, mate."

Jack thanked him, took his mug and they turned away from the bar.

"Ugh, I don't even like Novas, I just ordered something to get information from him," Jack said, looking at the drink with distaste before setting it down on an empty table.

They walked outside and stopped. The crowd was gone but one of the fighters was now lying dead in a pool of his own blood near the front door.

"Charming," the Doctor said.

"Um…can we take that as a sign we should find this part and get the hell out of here before we end up like him?" Rory said.

"Yes. Let's find this parts bizarre quickly," the Doctor said.

They turned right and walked down the street. While they walked, Amy gasped when someone suddenly seized her arm. She was spun around and she recoiled when she saw a drunken bald man with scars all over his face.

"Hey, pretty, fancy a night with me?" he said, leering at her.

"No, I don't. Now piss off!" Amy said.

She tried to back away but the man seized her arm and the drunken grin turned to a snarl.

"You're coming with me, missy!" he growled at her.

Amy was going to jerk her arm away when suddenly Rory came up fast beside her. The man grunted when Rory decked him in the face. The man staggered back and fell to the ground unconscious.

"She's my wife!" Rory said to the unconscious man.

"Wow, he's a lot tougher than he looks," Jack said to the Doctor.

"That's why I warned you about flirting with Amy," the Doctor said. "Come on, let's go on before that man or his friends take their revenge on us."

They quickly walked away from the man. About halfway up the street they noticed a lot of people grouped around a large tent and heard shouts from inside and outside it.

"The parts bizarre?" Rose said to Jack.

"I'm betting it is," Jack said.

"Let's just hope they have what we want," River said.

They got to the back of the crowd and tried to push their way to the entrance of the tent. A few people grudgingly stepped aside, a few others cursed at them and then got out of the way but when they were near the entrance one burly guy who had his black hair in a long black ponytail refused to let them pass.

"I was here first!" he growled at Jack.

"Step aside, buddy!" Jack growled back. "I wanna get through."

"Wait your turn!" the man growled back.

Jack was about to shove him aside when River suddenly lunged forward and seized the man by the crotch.

"Let us through or you'll get your balls ripped off your body," River snarled at him. "And if you think I'm bluffing, just keep on being belligerent and see if I'm joking or not."

Jack raised his eyebrow and looked at the Doctor. The Doctor tried to hide his smile. The man was about to strike River's face but he gasped when River tightened her hold on his crotch. Then suddenly, Rose ran around him and snatched his ponytail, jerking his head back.

"I don't think you hear her, mate. I believe my friend told you to get out of the bloody way," Rose growled.

Amy gleefully ran up and seized his face.

"So, if were you, I'd move before you have to deal with three angry women," Amy snarled at him.

The man looked at Jack. He shrugged.

"I'd do what they say if I were you, buddy," Jack said. "They look like they mean business."

They let go of the man when he indicated he was backing away. The three women stood shoulder to shoulder and glowered at the man while he sheepishly backed away into the crowd, his face red when several men around him began to laugh and make jokes about three women bossing him around. River turned to Jack.

"All clear," she said airily. "You can continue on your way."

"Doctor, I don't know where you found this woman, but she's definitely a keeper. Her and the ginger," Jack said.

He grinned at Rose.

"Course I already knew this one was a keeper," he said, pinching her cheek.

"Can we keep moving, Casanova, you can flirt later," the Doctor said.

Jack led the way to the entrance. The few remaining men quickly got out of their way, especially when River glared at them and flashed her long fingernails. When they reached the entrance, Jack checked inside to make sure the way was clear and then all of them entered the tent.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Wow!" Amy said when they looked around the tent. "This place is bigger than it looks from the outside."

"Time Lord technology, eh Doc?" Jack said to the Doctor.

"Jack…I don't like…"

"I know, I know but think of the shortening of your name as a term of affection, Doc."

"Whatever you say, Ja!" the Doctor said.

Rose giggled when Jack gave the Doctor a wry look. They watched while he looked around the room before focusing in on a table near the door. The man there was selling credit sticks. About one hundred long white sticks were grouped on his table while he stood behind it. The man looked dangerous with several scars all over his bald head and an eye patch over his right eye. He was also built like Schwarzenegger and looked like he meant business. The Doctor seemed unfazed by that while he told his friends to wait. He took his depleted credit stick out of his pocket and walked over to the table.

"Now what's he up to?" Jack said.

"Buying another credit stick?" Amy said.

"With what? He told us he didn't have any money. That's why we had to disguise ourselves to go get Jack," Rory said.

"Oh, is that why you did that? I just thought you were trying to get hired on and saw me," Jack said.

They watched while the Doctor spoke to the man for several minutes, cheerfully engaging him in banter. To their surprise, the man was pleasant with him and even laughed at a couple of his jokes.

"Pirate with a heart of gold, perhaps?" Jack said when the man laughed again and clapped the Doctor on the shoulder.

"Or he's in an extremely good mood," River said. "Then again, the Doctor can put people at their ease when he wants to."

The Doctor said a cheerful goodbye to the man and walked back to his friends.

"Come along then," he said.

"Mind telling us what that was about?" Rory asked as they walked deeper into the tent.

"That, Williams, was a combination of distraction and slight of hand. I engaged the man in idle chit chat while I put down my empty credit stick in the pile and took three back. I don't know how much the stabilizer will cost so I wanna be sure I have enough. We probably won't find another one, at least not without a great deal of searching. I…"

The Doctor stopped talking and froze. Everyone froze behind him and looked where he was looking. Off to his right was a booth. Spread out on the counter were several items and there were several items handing off the posts attached to the sides. At the top of the posts was a large wooden sign that said ANTIQUITIES on it.

"The stabilizer is here?" Rose said in confusion.

"No. But there's something else important here that I need to get. Wait a tic," the Doctor said.

They watched while he took one of the credit sticks out of his pocket and walked up to the booth. He pointed to several items on the counter and began to haggle with the man for each one. The others glanced at each other and walked closer. When they got close enough to see the items on the counter, they stopped. The Doctor had already purchased a large leather bound book and they could see Gallifreyan writing on the front. He also purchased a necklace, a ring and a small brown rock. He thanked the man, took the things, turned around and was startled when he saw how close his friends were.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come up," he said as they walked away.

"Doctor, that book is Gallifreyan, isn't it?" River said.

"Yes, it's the reason I wanted it. It's a history of Gallifrey. At least one of the many volumes that were written about our history. This belongs with me, not in the hands of some smuggler. And I found a few other items pertaining to Gallifrey that were made into jewelry. So…Jack, hold this, if you will."

He handed the book to Jack and walked up to Rose. He held up the necklace. The pendant was Perspex and was leaf shaped. Inside was a preserved silver leaf.

"This is a leaf from one of the trees of Gallifrey. I thought you might like it," the Doctor said.

"It's gorgeous, Doctor. Thank you," Rose said, taking the pendant from him and admiring it.

He walked over to River and showed her the ring. In the center of the silver ring was a small diamond.

"This diamond is a white point star, only found on Gallifrey. I thought it would look pretty on your finger," he said to her as he handed her the ring.

"Thank you, Sweetie," River said, taking the ring.

"Okay, Pond, here's your gift. Petrified Gallifreyan dog poo, enjoy," the Doctor said, holding out the brown rock to her.

"Uh…no thanks, Doctor, I'll pass," Amy said while everyone laughed.

"Only joking. This is a piece of rock from Misty Mountain. An ancient mountain that was perpetually shrouded in mist and was one of the wonders of Gallifrey. To get a piece meant you had to climb up the sheer rock face and to get it from the top was even more arduous. I give it to you now."

"Thanks," Amy said, taking it from him. "But…um…how do you know it's from Misty Mountain?"

"Because the little plaque affixed to the back of the rock says so," the Doctor said.

Amy turned it around and saw a little gold plaque on the back that said, rock collected from the top of Misty Mountain on Gallifrey.

"Thank you, this is much better than petrified dog poo," Amy said.

"Thought you might like it. As for the men, sorry. Nothing else from Gallifrey was on the table but you are in my thoughts and that's just as good."

"Can I exchange your thought about me for one of your credit sticks?" Jack said.

"No. Now, come along, let's continue our search for the stabilizer."

Rose finished putting the necklace on and River put her ring on her finger and all of them followed the Doctor while he scanned the tables and booths for any sign of a stabilizer. Finally, near the back of the tent, the Doctor found a table that was filled with parts for spaceships and he motioned for everyone to stop. They walked over and stood with him while he looked everything over. A grizzled old man stepped up to the table and asked if he was looking for anything special.

"Yes, I'm looking for a warpstar stabilizer, 1st class," the Doctor said.

"Hmmm, those are hard to come by," the man said, stroking his graying beard. "Wait a moment, one of my mates might be able to help ya out."

The Doctor nodded and they looked around while they waited. At the very back, they could see someone selling animals in steel cages. Most of them looked like cats and dogs.

"Ooo, let's get a dog," Amy said to the Doctor.

"I don't think so, Pond," the Doctor said.

"Why? You got the extra Gallifreyan things with your credit stick. Why not a dog for the TARDIS?"

"Because those dogs are Anganese Flesh Hounds that are specially bred for killing people and ripping them limb from limb before devouring them whole. I don't think they'd be interested in playing fetch with you unless you threw your severed arm across the room."

"Never mind then," Amy said. "I'd rather have a Yorkie."

"Yes, much more sensible choice since a Yorkie is less likely to rip you open and eat your intestines while you're still conscious," the Doctor said.

The man came back to the table with another man that was close to his age. In his hands he held a medium sized grey box with five wires protruding from the back. Embedded in the sides were two glass tubes filled with a blue gel.

"This what you're looking for, mate?" the man asked as he pointed to his friend's box.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for," the Doctor said. "How much do you want for it?"

"We need 1800 credits for it or we can take one of your girls and reduce the price," the man said, eyeing Rose. "That one there will bring about 500 credits on the slave market."

"No, thank you, I'm quite attached to these women. I'll pay the full 1800 for it," the Doctor said while the women glowered at the man.

"Suit yourself, mate," the man said, taking the Doctor's credit stick.

"By the way, I have had some dealings in the past with the slave market and I believe I could get a better deal for my girl elsewhere," the Doctor said while he ran the stick through a scanner. "She's young and healthy and worth far more than 500 credits."

Jack tried not to laugh as Rose's incensed look suddenly focused on the Doctor. The man glanced at Rose and chuckled as he gave her a wink.

"Perhaps, mate, but we're a small operation and we have to earn a living, you know," he said, handing the credit stick back to the Doctor. "If I were you, though, I'd think about selling all of them. Fetch a good profit for all those beauties."

"Thanks, I just might," the Doctor said cheerfully as the man's friend handed him the stabilizer. "Nice doing business with ya."

"Cheers, mate," the man said.

The Doctor turned and saw the pissed off looks on the women's faces while Jack and Rory tried not to laugh.

"Now don't get those sour faces," the Doctor said as they walked away. "Think of it as a compliment. Especially you, Rose. He was going to rip me off if I sold you to him. You're worth at least 2 million credits on the auction block"

"Oh yeah, that makes me feels so much better, Doctor," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

Jack put his arm around her and grinned.

"Nah, you're worth at least five million and a hypership and don't let anyone tell you otherwise," he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze while they walked out of the tent.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Once they were back on the TARDIS, the Doctor took them into the vortex and leaving the stabilizer by the console, took the book back to his library. After that, he headed to his room, changed back into his usual outfit and got cleaned up. When he was back to his normal self, he went back to the console room. No one was in there so the Doctor assumed everyone else was getting cleaned up and resting so he took the stabilizer, went down under the console and started work on attaching the part to the underside of the console.

Rose finished changing back into her street clothes. She had washed off the heavy makeup and applied a lighter covering. When she was finished, she stood in front of her full length mirror and looked at her necklace. She smiled when the light from above caught the leaf just right and made it sparkle.

"River can have the diamond, I'll take this any day," she murmured as she ran her finger down the Perspex casing.

She put the pendant underneath her pink shirt and headed back to the console room. When she came in the door, she didn't see anyone at first and came down the stairs. She looked around, wondering if the Doctor was in his room and then she heard a sizzle sound and her eyes went down to the floor. She grinned when she saw the Doctor sitting under it in a sling. He was using a soldering iron to attach the wires to the rest of the circuitry while the box rested in a smaller sling. The Doctor looked up at Rose and she laughed at his goggles.

"What?" he said.

"Love the goggles, Doctor. They make you look cute," Rose said.

"Really? I thought they made me look dashing but everyone has their opinions," he said to her.

Rose walked over to the stairs and came down to the lower level. She came around to the Doctor and looked at the central column.

"Wow, you can see the bottom of the column now," she said, pointing to it. "I like this version of the console room better. It's more space age now."

"Well, I think the TARDIS got bored with the organic layout," the Doctor said while he worked. "I needed a change and so did she."

"So much has changed since I left," Rose said.

"Well, change is inevitable. It's one of the many inevitabilities about the universe," the Doctor said.

"Can't argue with that," Rose said.

She fell silent for a moment watching the Doctor while he worked.

"Are you sure this'll work?" she finally said, pointing to the box.

"No. But it's our best bet. It'll give a boost to the TARDIS and ensure that we'll be able to stay in the other universe as long as we need to."

"I wish you had that the last time," Rose said.

The Doctor looked at her.

"Rose, I couldn't stay," he said.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to slink off like that while John and I were kissing. You didn't even give me a proper goodbye," Rose said angrily.

"I had to do that."

"Why?"

The Doctor sighed. He pulled up his goggles to his forehead so he could look at her.

"Because my hearts were breaking and I couldn't bear it any longer," he said. "I'm sorry. I know I left without saying goodbye but I didn't want to spoil the moment and…it was bizarre watching my clone kiss you like that, like I was out of my body and observing myself. Course, lots of things about that day were bizarre."

"Mum was furious."

The Doctor frowned.

"Because I left while you were kissing?"

"No, because you chucked us out the door in Norway without offering us a ride back. We had to find a cheap hotel while Dad asked Torchwood to let him borrow a zeppelin so he could bring us back."

"I'm sorry, that's where the rift came out at," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, well, I tried explaining that to mum but you know her…"

"Yeah, I know her all too well. So…is a slap waiting for me when we see her again?" the Doctor said.

"Most likely," Rose said.

"Great. Looking forward to that then," the Doctor said, turning his attention back to the circuitry.

"When did you meet River?" Rose asked while she watched him work.

"Actually, I met her before the Earth was stolen at a place called the Library."

He paused a moment and looked up through the floor, trying to see if River was near.

"Gotta be careful though. Remember, that's her future, so I can't say too much about it."

"Yeah, I still think that's bizarre," Rose said, shaking her head. "And Amy and Rory, where'd ya meet them?"

"Amy, I met the night I regenerated. After the TARDIS was damaged, she careened out of control back to Earth and I crashed in her garden when she was seven years old. She was the first person I met in my new body. Rory, I met…well, it was a few hours for me but years for her. I miscalculated when I had to leave for a moment and came back twelve years later. I met Rory then. He didn't travel with me at first and then he tagged along for Amy's sake and then he started traveling full time."

"Like Mickey."

"Yes, except he's not as annoying. Well, he was a bit annoying in the beginning but I warmed up to him."

"Like Mickey."

Rose giggled when the Doctor stopped working and stared at her.

"Okay, yes, he's like Mickey and I'm sure sometime in future I'll be treated to an earful of his little girly scream. Satisfied?"

Rose nodded and laughed when the Doctor gave her a lopsided grin before he went back to work.

"So, you and John are trying to make the relationship work?" the Doctor said while he worked.

"Yes. Well, we're trying to sort out the fact that he's a clone of a man I'm in love with. He had a bit of an inferiority complex and sometimes he thinks he's just the substitute for the real thing. To be honest, that's what he was in the beginning but I "warmed up to him" and I keep trying to reassure him that I do love him."

"Well, I'm glad you're trying to work it out and not just chuck him out the door because he wasn't the proper version of me."

"I wouldn't do that. It's not his fault he was born."

"No, the fault would go to me, the Sycorax who lobbed off the hand and Donna."

"Mind you, he's not quite as angry and bloodlusty as you think, he was more confused than anything."

The Doctor looked at her.

"Confused about what?"

"About his place in the universe. If you're the Doctor and he's a clone of you, where does he fit in?"

"That's why I wanted him to go to the other universe so he didn't have to feel he was competing with me. That's why I wonder if he'll have misgivings about coming back here when all this is over."

"He's not quite so bad anymore. He's coming to terms with himself and I think he'd be comfortable acting as a defender of Earth while you're away."

"Well, I would welcome the help in that regard. Sarah does her share but her and her son and friends are only four people and Torchwood…I doubt Torchwood is active now that their leader swanned off for parts unknown."

"D'ya want me to talk to Jack and try to convince him to come back to Torchwood?" Rose said.

"You can try. Jack's as stubborn as a mule but he might listen to his little Yo Ho Ho. You have that magic way of getting through to people and helping them heal."

"Which means I'm worth more than 500 credits?"

"Heh. Rose Tyler, they would have to auction off 40 planets to get enough credits to buy you. Now…does that make up for what I said earlier?"

"Um…it's a start," Rose teased.

She came to him and the Doctor switched the soldiering iron to the other hand and put his free arm around her when she embraced him and held him. The old familiar feeling of love swam back to the surface and he smiled as he breathed in her familiar scent. While he stared at her, he had a sudden thought.

"Rose. Will you do something for me after you talk to Jack?" he asked her.

"What do you want me to do?" Rose murmured.

"Let me scan your memories. I want to see what happened to you and what the Valeyard did."

He felt Rose stiffen and his suspicions were confirmed.

"You were tortured, weren't you?" he said as anger began to rise within him. "He did more than keep you prisoner."

"Doctor, I don't…I don't want to relieve those memories."

"I can put you to sleep temporarily so you won't be conscious. I just want to know what he did and what happened in general," the Doctor said, stroking her cheek. "I won't traumatize you, I promise. I just need to know what I'm up against. The Valeyard's not to be taken lightly. So will you let me do that if I promise not to make you relive the memories?"

Rose nodded and the Doctor kissed her forehead tenderly. Rose gave his hand a squeeze and the Doctor asked her to go ahead and speak to Jack while he finished with the stabilizer. Rose kissed his cheek and the Doctor smiled lovingly at her before she turned and went back up the steps.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Jack was relaxing on the bed in his room reading a magazine when he heard a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" he yelled.

"Rose."

"One moment!" Jack yelled.

With an impish grin, he threw the magazine to the side of the room, grabbed a few fluffy blue satin pillows, threw them on the bed above his pillows, took down his braces, unbuttoned his shirt to the navel and spread it open and finally laid down on the bed in a sideways sexy pose.

"Come in," he yelled.

The door opened and Rose froze at the door when she saw Jack.

"So, my love slave, come willingly to your master at last?" he purred.

Rose grinned and slammed the door. She and Jack laughed on both sides of the door and Jack got up. He buttoned his shirt up while he walked to the door and opened it.

"You're never gonna give up, are ya?" Rose said when he opened the door.

"I'm not known for subtlety and I'm not known for surrendering when I see something I like," Jack teased her as she came inside. "I have to admit I did miss the teasing we did. Used to drive the Doc to distraction as I recall."

Rose chuckled.

"You weren't around for his next life. By then, he was the one doing the teasing," Rose said.

"Well, unfortunately, the Doctor got spooked when I became immortal and left me behind."

He noticed the guilty look on Rose's face and took her arms.

"It's not your fault. You did what you did out of love," he said. "Because of you, I stayed around to form my Torchwood team and have many more adventures."

"That's what I wanted to speak to you about," Rose said while Jack sat down on the foot of the bed. "Jack, the Doctor and I just talked and I told him that John and I will most likely go back to London….this London and help look after the Earth. I'd love it if you came back instead of swanning off and getting drunk."

"Rose…" Jack said, sighing.

Rose sat down beside him and put her hand on his leg.

"Jack, this isn't like you. You may have done things like go to brothels every chance ya got and get pissed and get laid when you were a con man but you're not that man anymore. You swore to protect the Earth."

"Well…protecting the Earth became much too painful," Jack said bitterly as he stared down at his clasped hands.

"Because of your grandson?"

"That and…I lost someone else," Jack said, looking at her.

"Who?"

Jack got up from the bed and walked over to a wooden bookcase. He picked up a thick black leatherbound book and brought it back to her. When he sat back down and opened it, Rose realized it was a photo album.

"I started this after I started traveling with you and the Doctor," Jack explained as he turned the pages. "Before that, there really wasn't anything worth capturing in a photograph."

Rose watched while he turned the pages. She glanced at a few photos of him and her and the Doctor and Mickey and smiled wistfully when the photos brought back memories of the good old days. Then the subject of the photos switched to Torchwood and Rose became fascinated as Jack stopped at them and she stared at the faces.

"I remember her," Rose said, pointing to Gwen. "I saw her on the monitor in the TARDIS. "And him," she said, pointing to Ianto.

"That's the one I lost. His name was Ianto. He…was my lover."

Rose fell silent while she stared at one of the photos. It was a photo of Jack with Gwen, Ianto and two other people clustered around them.

"Who are they?" she asked, pointing to the two unfamiliar people.

"That's Tosh and that's Owen. They also died…before Ianto did," Jack said sadly. "I lost three fifths of my team in the space of a year. That and my grandson finally did me in. I had to get away, Rose. I know it sounds cowardly and I know the Doctor lost far more than that but it was the con man in me that made me run for the stars."

"And this is it then? You're gonna spend the rest of your life getting drunk and laid because you can't get over the people you lost? D'ya think all these people would want you to spend your life like that?"

Jack looked down at his hands again while Rose rubbed his back.

"Despite your daft attempts to seduce me, I think you and I think of each other as brother and sister and as your adopted sister, I'm asking you to please come back and help defend the Earth again. Please honor the memories of the people you love by fighting on and making the world a safer place."

Jack stared at the floor while he thought about that. Then an impish grin spread over his face.

"What do you mean, "sister", my little love slave? You're not getting away that easily," he said. "I will have you, I will!"

Rose giggled at that and Jack straightened up and put his arm around her.

"Why do you have to be so darn cute,Tyler? You and your face can talk me into anything."

Rose brightened.

"You'll go back then?" she said happily.

"If I don't go back, will you and the Doctor jump on my back, ride me around and beat on my head until I do?"

"Yup," Rose said.

"Hmmm…you and the Doc on my back…hmmm…"

He laughed when Rose gave him a playful shove and he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, I rue the day I met you two. I used to be a cowardly con man and now I have to be defender of the Earth just so I can keep my little sis happy," he said.

"Con man is boring and you don't get as much glory."

"No, you don't," Jack said, nodding. "Do get a lot of bullets though."

Jack thought for a moment and grinned.

"Okay, amending my statement about coming back. I'll come back on one condition," he said to her.

"You want me to be your love slave."

"Um…that wasn't what I had in mind but now that you said it…"

He laughed when Rose gave him another shove.

"Okay, the condition is this. You and John join the team when you come back to Earth."

"Seriously?" Rose said.

"Very seriously. We need new members and you need a place to stay and Cardiff is a nice city. Besides, the rift is there and the Doctor comes back every so often to refuel so you can see him then. So…what about it? Want to join forces?"

"Will you be chasing me night and day?"

Jack pretended to consider that.

"Is John like the Doctor?" he finally said.

"If you mean, will he ram his fist into your balls if you try to pounce on me…yes."

"Damn, there goes the chasing then."

He laughed when Rose swatted his arm and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yup, you coming to Torchwood sweetens the deal. I would definitely look forward to working with you. Besides, Gwen needs another female around the Hub. And with a clone of the Doctor on our side, we'll be formidable! Yes. Amazingly enough, I'm actually starting to like the idea."

"Good. I'm glad I talked some sense into ya," Rose said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go back to the Doctor."

She laughed when Jack leapt up and lunged at the door.

"Not so fast, Blondie," he said, pressing himself up against the door. "You need to service me first."

"I'll service you with this," Rose said, holding up her fist. "How 'bout that?"

"Nah, too painful. Especially when the Doctor joins in. Okay…my little Monkey of Love, you can leave then," he said, stepping aside and opening the door.

"Monkey of Love?" Rose said while Jack bent over laughing. "Sometimes I wonder if you need to be sectioned, Jack."

"Babe, they should have sectioned me the moment I came out my mom's vagina," Jack said with a flourish.

Rose laughed and kissed his cheek.

"Well, see you later, Loony," she said fondly.

"Back at you, Doodle Bird, come back to me soon. I may get lonely."

"Doodle Bird?" Rose said while he laughed. "Okay, I'm leaving now before you call me something really bizarre!"

"Give my regards to the Doctor, Snackleface!" Jack called as she left the room.

He chuckled when Rose laughed at that and waved goodbye before he shut the door to his room.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"Ah, there you are," the Doctor said, turning from the console when Rose entered the room, "how did the heart to heart talk go?"

"He wants to come back," Rose said, coming down the steps.

"Excellent."

"But he wants John and me to come back with him."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Should I go and prepare Cardiff for the mayhem that will ensue once you join forces with Harkness?" he said.

"Nah, let's let them be surprised," Rose said, coming up to him.

"I'm finished installing the stabilizer and the TARDIS is integrating it. So…I thought perhaps now is the time to go and look at your memories."

He laid a hand on her shoulder when Rose sighed.

"Rose, I promise you won't remember a thing. Remember what I did to Chloe Webber so I could talk to the Isolus without her interference?"

"Chloe Webber. God, that seems like ages ago now," Rose said. "Everything before Canary Wharf seems like ages ago."

"We had some good times back then," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, we did."

The Doctor smiled, took her hand and led her out of the room. Rose figured they were going to the med bay but she frowned when they went down an unfamiliar corridor.

"Where are we going?" she asked while they walked.

"Someplace tranquil and relaxing. I thought it might help to soothe you, given what I'm about to do. You'll be unconscious but I still want you to be put at ease while I put you under. I've never shown you this room before because it was private but I think you'll love it."

Rose was now insatiably curious and the thought of seeing a room that the Doctor probably never showed anyone else eased her trepidation a bit. They finally stopped at one door and the Doctor smiled at Rose before opening it. Inside was a dirt path with lush green fields on both sides. Some trees were scattered along the path but what amazed Rose was all the butterflies that were flying around.

"Rose, this is the Butterfly Room."

"Oh my God, this is beautiful," Rose said, stepping inside.

The Doctor stepped in after her and shut the door. He took her hand and led her down the path to a thicker clump of trees. Butterflies of every size and color flew around them and Rose was enchanted while she watched them.

"I come here sometimes to find a bit of quiet and solitude," the Doctor said while they walked. "It calms me when I watch the butterflies."

"It's lovely," Rose said. "It just makes me love the TARDIS more."

"She's the best ship in the universe. I couldn't live without her."

He led her into the trees and Rose saw a large white blanket spread out on a soft patch between two of the trees. A couple of Monarch butterflies were resting on it and took flight when Rose and the Doctor stepped onto it. They sat down and Rose sat near the Doctor, watching the butterflies flying around them while the Doctor rubbed her back.

"How many butterflies are here?" Rose asked.

"Thousands. I have all of the Earth species and a fair share from other worlds. The TARDIS takes care of them for me so all I have to do is enjoy their beauty."

"I could stay here forever and just watch them," Rose said in a hushed voice.

The Doctor silently echoed the sentiment, except he mentally replaced "them" with "you" as he stared at the women he loved. Rose turned her head to the edge of the blanket and smiled when a butterfly with purple and silver tipped wings settled down and slowly flapped its wings while it explored its surroundings. Rose glanced up at the trees and looked at the green leaves for a moment. The Doctor watched while she reached into her shirt, took out the necklace and fingered the silver leaf. Seeing it brought back a flood of memories of his home world and he had to turn away for a moment to keep his emotions under control. When he turned back, Rose was watching him.

"It's too bad your trees don't have these gorgeous leaves," she said, fingering the pendant.

"It would be too painful for me to have them here, knowing the real ones are no longer alive."

"You turned your head away to hide your pain, didn't ya?" Rose said, putting her hand against his cheek. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have taken this out."

"No, it's alright. I'm glad you like it. I just wish I could have shown you the real thing…all of you," the Doctor said. "My home world wasn't perfect but the scenery was."

"I wish we could go back and see it," Rose said.

"Can't," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "You saw what happened to Dalek Caan when he went back. I don't fancy ending up ugly and insane like him."

Rose smiled and played with strands of his hair while he watched her lovingly. She paused as she brushed his hair aside and the Doctor frowned when she stared at him intently for a moment and then leaned in.

"Oh, okay, you do have eyebrows then," she said.

"Well, yes…" the Doctor said when she leaned back and giggled.

"Well, it doesn't look like it from here. I thought you got them burned off in a freak fire or something."

"I have eyebrows!" the Doctor said, incensed, while she laughed.

"You know, I have an eyebrow pencil that will fill them in nicely," Rose said, leaning back in. "Give ya nice dark eyebrows so people can see them miles away."

"Oh, piss off, Rose," the Doctor said, giving her a playful shove while she laughed. "First my bow tie, now my eyebrows."

"And the tweed, gotta do something about the tweed!"

She laughed when the Doctor tried to swat her head and she took his hand and laid her head on his shoulder. She glanced up at his face and the Doctor sighed when she giggled again.

"I have eyebrows!" he said while she sniggered.

"Not like before. You had nice thick eyebrows last time and the left one kinda went up just a little bit and it was really sexy when you raised your eyebrow and…"

She laughed when the Doctor gave her a long, hard stare.

"Is that why you kept getting into trouble? You were too busy staring at my sexy eyebrows to follow directions?" he said.

"No, I kept getting into trouble because I was following your philosophy of do whatever the hell you feel like and deal with the consequences later."

"I never told you to follow my philosophy. I told you repeatedly not to wander off and you never listened!"

"Oh yeah….well…"

Rose trailed off while she tried to think of a good comeback.

"Yes?" the Doctor said while she shook with silent laughter. "Oh yeah, what?"

"Yeah, well…at least I didn't burn my eyebrows off in a freak fire."

Rose tried to get away but the Doctor snatched her and she laughed when they both fell back onto the blanket.

"You leave my eyebrows outta this, Chav!" he said gleefully.

"Chav? Oooo…that's a slap for ya, that is," Rose said, jabbing her finger in his nose.

She paused and grinned when the finger slowly went up and felt the hairs of his left eyebrow.

"Let's see, one, two, threeee…" Rose counted before howling with laughter when the Doctor tickled her ribs. "Sorry, I'm sorry," she said before the Doctor let up. "I won't whinge about your Mona Lisa look ever again. Ah!" she squealed when the Doctor tickled her again. "Sorry, I'M SORRY, YEAH?" she yelled before the Doctor let out a chuckle and sat up.

Rose lay on the blanket and the Doctor sat beside her, watching her. Above her, the butterflies flew around and she was spellbound while she watched them. She turned her attention to the Doctor when he put his hand on her cheek.

"Rose, we have to do this," he said. "We can't stay in here forever."

Rose sighed and positioned her body so she was relaxed.

"Just promise I won't be conscious."

"I promise, Rose," he said, stroking her cheek. "Just relax and watch the beautiful butterflies and I'll do the rest."

Rose nodded. She kept her eyes upwards, watching the butterflies fly around while the Doctor got on his knees and put his fingertips to her temples. Rose kept on watching the butterflies until her eyelids became heavy and she slowly sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

At first the Doctor saw a series of disconnected images and memories and it took a moment for him to start sorting through them to find a cohesive timeline. After a few more moments he was able to locate the day he left her with John at Bad Wolf Bay. He was able to control where to start and stop and to speed up and slow down the memories so he went past the part he knew about to the part that occurred just after he left. Once he was ready, he allowed the memory to play out and he observed it as he would if he were watching a film. For a moment, nothing happened. Rose, John and Jackie stood there staring at the space where the TARDIS had been as if they couldn't believe he was gone. Then Jackie finally spoke up.

"That's it? He's gone? He's left us here?" she said.

Rose let out a sigh and turned with John.

"Looks like it, mum."

"HE LEFT US IN THE MIDDLE OF BLEEDIN' NORWAY?"

The Doctor winced at the rage in Jackie's voice and he was glad she wasn't able to reach out from the memory and grab him. He was glad he didn't turn around and come back too since he was sure Jackie would have made him regenerate right there on the beach.

"Mum, come down, just ring dad and tell him to send a zeppelin," Rose said, holding up her hands while she tried to pacify her mother.

"Oh, Rose, you are far braver then me," the Doctor murmured while he watched.

"You know how long that'll take, Rose?" Jackie was saying. "The zeppelin isn't the TARDIS! We'll have to find somewhere to stay in the meantime. And what about you?" she said, finally turning her attention to John.

"What about me?" John said angrily.

"Where are you staying?" Jackie said to him.

John's mouth fell open and the Doctor noticed the he was desperately fighting the urge not to deck her. He had to admire the level of self control his clone had.

"Well gee, Jackie, I s'pose I'll just find a straw, dig a hole in the sand, cover myself up and breathe through it," he finally said.

"I mean, where are you staying when you leave here with us?" Jackie said.

"He's staying with us," Rose said before John could answer.

The Doctor sniggered at the shocked look on Jackie's face and grinned at the smug look on John's face that followed it. Jackie looked like she wanted to say something else but then let the matter drop while she reached into her pocket and took out her mobile. While she walked away Rose looked at John and put a hand on his chest.

"Don't worry about it, I'll sort it out with mum," she said to him.

The Doctor backed out of that memory and went further on. He stopped at one when he noticed that Rose and John seemed to be fighting and focused in on it. They were inside a large library. The walls behind them had cherry wood bookcases that were filled with books and there was a grey marble fireplace directly behind him. A fire was blazing and cracking in the fireplace while John and Rose stood in front of it. The Doctor started the memory and watched.

"John, you're being unreasonable," Rose said angrily.

"No, I'm being realistic," John said. "I want to know if you still have feelings for him."

Rose sighed and slumped her shoulders while John nodded to himself.

"You do. I knew it."

"Okay, yes, I do," Rose said angrily. "I do still think of the other Doctor but that's because I loved him deeply and seeing you…seeing some of the things you do makes me think of him sometimes. But that doesn't mean I want to go running off in search of him. I'm trying to make our relationship work, John. But you keep on being paranoid about every kiss or hug I give you. I'm sorry that you're a clone, I really am. I would hate to be the duplicate of someone else, but that doesn't mean you have to live in his shadow for the rest of your life. The Doctor is gone. He's in the other universe now! But I'm here, John. I told you I want to be with you and here I am!"

John turned away from her a moment and Rose leaned against the bookcase near the fireplace while she watched.

"Look," John finally said after a few moments of thought, "maybe I should move out and find somewhere else to live. Living with your mum is not exactly my idea of bliss and this is putting a strain on our relationship. Perhaps we both need our space."

"You want to date other people, you mean?" Rose said.

"No, Rose, I want time to adjust and it's hard to adjust when your mum is in my face all the time telling me to act like a human and get a proper job. I love you, I do. But I think you and I both need some space."

Rose thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay, sounds fair," she said. "Perhaps you're right. Mum isn't thrilled that you're here and it's hard to be loving when she's in the house."

"At last! Someone understands!" John said, throwing up his hands.

The Doctor chuckled and pulled back out of that memory. He went on further but stopped short when he saw one memory where Rose was sitting on an examination table in a med bay and John was standing beside her dressing in a white lab coat while he looked at a clipboard. Intrigued, the Doctor focused in on the memory and started it.

"That can't be right," Rose was saying while John studied some papers attached to the clipboard. "The blood work must be wrong!"

"The facts don't lie, Rose," John said. "According to this, you are part Time Lord, just like me."

"What?" the Doctor said as his head jerked in shock.

He forced himself to focus back on the memory.

"I can't be. How can I be part Time Lord?" Rose was saying. "I didn't touch the jar, Donna did!"

"I don't know, Rose," John said, shaking his head. "The body scan indicates you're human but your blood is more like a Time Lord."

"So we really are alike, you and me," Rose said. "Perhaps the Doctor was right to pair us together if we're both Time Lord."

"Perhaps…"

John trailed off and Rose raised her eyebrow.

"Why do I sense a "but" after that perhaps?" she said.

"But…" John said, "it appears your body clock has slowed significantly. And I mean, significantly…as in almost no aging."

"I'm not getting older?" Rose said, alarmed.

John shook his head sadly.

"Does that mean you're not getting older?" Rose said.

"No, I did a scan of my body after I read this to compare and I appear to be aging normally according to the machines."

"Well…machines can be wrong," Rose said.

"Maybe…but if they aren't…that means you'll stay young while I grow old. So now we have the reverse of what the Doctor was going through."

Both the Doctor and Rose were shocked. The Doctor pulled out of the memory and pulled out of Rose's mind for a moment. He sat back and looked at Rose while she slept soundly, too shocked to speak.

"How?" he said while he watched her sleep. "That can't be right. You can't be part Time Lord, how can you be part Time Lord? I'm going to have the TARDIS run a scan after all this is finished because I want to be sure the results are right."

Still…as he looked at her, the Doctor couldn't help but think of what this new development meant. He had always feared giving himself to her completely since he knew that one day she would grow old in front of his eyes and die. But if her aging process were slowed to the point she wouldn't age...and if she were now part Time Lord…

The Doctor let that thought die in his mind for the moment. He put Rose under so he could see what the Valeyard had done to her. The question of whether or not she was part Time Lord and the implications of that would have to wait for later. Getting himself back under control, he leaned back in and put his fingers back on her temples.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

When the Doctor went back into Rose's mind, he decided to skip right to the Valeyard and ask Rose about the part Time Lord thing when she woke up. He didn't want to keep her under too long since River, Rory and Amy were waiting for them and the TARDIS could find a tear in the rift at any time. He sorted through the memories until he found one with the Valeyard in it. He stopped on it and looked. The Valeyard seemed to be standing in an office while he confronted Rose. The office had cream walls and a few photos of her and John on the walls. Behind Rose was a desk and when the Doctor zoomed in on it, he saw several memos from Torchwood so he surmised this was her office in Torchwood on the day she was taken. He zoomed back out so he could see the whole scene and let the memory play out.

"Who are ya, what d'ya want?" Rose said, backing up towards the desk.

"I am called the Valeyard," the Valeyard said in the same snide tone of voice the Dream Lord used. "What I want is information and more importantly, your time machine."

"I don't have a time machine," Rose said quickly.

"Oh puh-leeze," the Valeyard said, rolling his eyes. "Don't play innocent, Miss Tyler. I have several spies planted inside Torchwood who have been watching both you and your little boyfriend. My spies have planted listening devices in here and Mister Smith's office and I've heard you talk about this TARDIS and how you want to use it to travel time and space when it…grows up. I'm a man of very little patience, Miss Tyler, and I don't like defiance, so I'll ask you once more and that is it. Where is your time machine?"

"I don't have it," Rose said, crossing her arms defiantly. "We found one of your hypnotized spies and managed to get her to talk and she told us you were looking for it so I made sure it was hid far away from here."

"Is that so?" the Valeyard said, coming closer. "Then it seems you are of some use to me, Miss Tyler. I want that time machine and you're going to tell me where it is, either verbally or through a mind probe. I don't care how but I will have it!"

With lightning speed, the Valeyard whipped a small dart gun out of his pocket and Rose gasped when he shot a small needle into her neck. The Doctor stopped the memory when she collapsed to the floor and the Valeyard advanced on her while he put the gun back in his pocket. He sorted through the memories and found one where Rose was strapped to a table in a lab while the Valeyard stood beside her. He paused, mentally steeling himself for the sight of Rose being tortured. When he felt he was ready, he took a deep breath and let the memory play. While Rose strapped to the table, a large metal box with buttons and dials on the side of it was suspended above her. Coming out of the box, directly above her head, was a long steel laser gun that was aimed at her head.

"Look, I've already told you everything, plus you've done a mind probe, what more do you want?" Rose was saying to the Valeyard.

"Nothing," the Valeyard said with an unconcerned shrug. "I'm just bored and you're here and this gives me something to do."

Then he pushed a button and a thick red laser beam shot from the gun directly onto Rose's head. The Doctor winced at the scream emanating from her throat. He had heard her scream before but nothing like this. It was so earsplitting he had to pull out of the memory because his ears couldn't bear it any more. He then had to pull out completely because his body was shaking with silent rage and he had to fought to keep himself under control. He sat back on the blanket and tried to calm himself down. It was bad enough seeing Rose tortured but the fact that the Valeyard was doing it for no reason at all made him enraged beyond all reason. He hadn't seen anything else but he had a feeling it was just as bad and he suddenly had no stomach for any more torture of the woman he loved. He sat and watched her for a moment until he finally calmed down and then he put his fingers on his temples and woke her up. Rose opened her eyes and smiled warmly at him.

"Wow, that was nice. Best sleep I've had in ages," he said to him. "Did you see what you wanted to see?"

"I saw enough," the Doctor said. "Including some things that preceded the Valeyard. Rose…explain this whole part Time Lord thing to me."

Rose's eyes widened and she quickly sat up.

"Doctor…"

The Doctor waited for her to continue but she trailed off and sat there in silence, unsure what to say.

"Machines can be wrong," she finally said.

"Earth machines perhaps but not the TARDIS. You're getting another scan done here," he said to her. "But what is your theory…that is, if you are part Time Lord?"

Rose looked at the blanket and the Doctor stuck his finger under her chin and lifted her head so she was looking at him.

"Rose…I'm not letting this drop," he said. "If you are part Time Lord, I want to know why."

"How far back did you go in my memories?" Rose said.

"I started after I left the second time when your mum started ranting and raving about being in bloodyNorway."

"Shoulda gone back farther."

"Why?" the Doctor said.

Rose sighed.

"I had a…dream…after John did the tests," Rose said.

"What sort of dream?"

"I dreamed about that day on the Gamestation when the Bad Wolf killed all the Daleks. I saw myself inside myself as the Bad Wolf," Rose said, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I saw myself resurrecting Jack and I could feel that I did it because I loved him…in a brotherly way…and didn't want him to die so I brought him back to life. Then I saw you at my feet and I heard myself saying that I wanted to keep you safe and protected by the false god."

She glanced at the Doctor and he nodded so she continued.

"I then felt the Bad Wolf in my head reading my thoughts…about how much I loved you and how I never wanted you to be alone and the Bad Wolf spoke to me inside my head and told me that she would change me, make me like you, so we could be together and you would never be alone. She said that in this life I would be part human but when I regenerated I would become a full Time…Lady and I would get my second heart along with everything else."

She fell silent but the silence spoke volumes while the Doctor stared at her.

"I never told John about the dream," Rose finally said when the Doctor didn't speak. "Because I wasn't sure whether it was real or not and I didn't want to upset John. But when you first called to me across the rift, that first time we got separated, it was in a dream that I first heard you."

The Doctor swallowed hard, fighting back a wave of emotions, while he stared at her. Ever since he fell in love with Rose and dared to have a relationship with her, he had always imagined her as a Time Lady, thinking how wonderful she'd be as one and now it seemed like the universe had answered his fondest wish. Suddenly, it seemed like things had become extremely complicated between them.

"What happens now?" Rose finally asked.

The Doctor's brain was sluggish, trying to recover after all the shocks it had been through over the past several minutes. He was desperately fighting the urge to just grab Rose and snog her senseless or go find the Bad Wolf if it still existed and snog it senseless for doing this huge favor for him. Rose scooted closer and took the Doctor's hand and the Doctor smiled, grateful for the familiar comfort it brought to him. As he looked at Rose, he was shocked when a sudden possessiveness surged up within him the moment he started to consider what might happen to John in all this and he was equally shocked when "Sod John!" reared up in his thoughts. He forced himself to calm down and think.

"If you stay with John, it'll be the reverse of my situation, just like he said," he said, surprised he sounded so calm. "I…I'm not sure if I can make John into a full Time Lord so he'd be stuck watching you remain young while he grew old and died. As for River…"

His eyes widened for a second imagining River's reaction to all this. Rose scooted closer and put her other hand on his arm.

"You've already met River at the end of her life, yeah? Which means one day you'll meet her for the first time and then she'll be gone for good?" Rose said.

"I assume so," the Doctor said.

"If…all this is true," Rose said while the Doctor watched her. "Then both John and River will eventually pass from our lives. Everyone in here except for Jack will be gone eventually and that leaves just us."

The Doctor nodded.

"If all this true then I'll be living for centuries, yeah?"

"Barring any fatal trauma that you can't regenerate from, yes."

"Then here's what I'm thinking. I love John and you love River so why not love them while they're here and keep committed to the relationships since we know that eventually we'll be together. Why should we hurt then when they're both innocent in all this? If we'll have centuries together then what's a few years spent in other relationships? Especially if we can still be close and be friends in that time. We'll just pretend we needed space and needed to be with other people while you figure out how to stop being a jerk."

"Jerk?" the Doctor said.

He gave Rose a wry grin when she stuck her tongue between her teeth and winked.

"Oh, so the relationship problems are my fault then?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah. You were a right git and we did this whole amicable split thing while we mended our relationship. You know, what humans do."

The Doctor shook with silent laughter while Rose gave him a cheeky grin.

"This is hinging on whether or not the tests are correct," he said. "Because I still want the TARDIS to do a scan to make sure there isn't any errors."

"Fine. But if there isn't and I am part Time Lord, I say we go along with my plan," Rose said. "That way we don't hurt the ones we love."

"But we will have to explain this to Jack," the Doctor said. "It will look suspicious when you're still alive and young after 150 years."

"Course. And now you not only have Jack to travel with, you'll have me as well. The old team, back together."

"Wheeeeee," the Doctor said sarcastically.

Rose giggled and playfully punched his arm. The Doctor smiled and reached inside her shirt, pulling out her pendent.

"Do you know why I gave you this?" he said to her. "This wasn't on that table just because someone thought a leaf might make a pretty necklace. Silver leaves were only found in one part of the planet and so most people never got to see them. So they were much sought after, especially by lovers. If a man was able to get a silver leaf, he made it into a necklace as a sign of devotion to his beloved. Because most of the time it took a lot of traveling and hard work in order to get these leaves so it showed the woman just how much she was truly loved and that's why you got this and not the diamond ring."

Rose was speechless. She looked at the Doctor, his boyish face, and felt herself falling even more in love with him than she had before. Suddenly, it seemed like the barriers that had been placed between them were falling away and Rose felt her heart beat fast when the Doctor took her in his arms and began to snog her passionately.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Ah, come on, ladies. It'll be fun!"

Jack was sitting at the kitchen table with Amy, Rory and River playing poker. For the past ten minutes he'd been trying to get them to play strip poker.

"Come on, no one's around. The Doctor's away, let's have some real fun," he said.

Amy and River shared a look. Rory was looking away, beet red and the two women were trying not to giggle at his embarrassment.

"Could we not?" Rory said while Amy giggled.

"I'm just trying to make the card game more interesting, that's all," Jack said with a shrug.

"You really have no inhibitions, do you?" Amy said to Jack.

She laughed when Jack thought hard about that.

"Um…not many," he said. "But where I come from, people aren't quite as Victorian and prudish and hey, I can't help that I grew up in that environment. So…how 'bout it? River, you seem like an adventurous lady."

River looked at Amy and Rory and shifted nervously. She had yet to tell them how they were related to her but the thought of being completely naked in front of mom and dad or even worse seeing them naked made her politely decline the offer. Jack shrugged and was about to suggest another hand of poker when the Doctor came into the kitchen.

"There you are," River said. "Did it take that long to install the stabilizer?"

"Not exactly. I did that and then I took a look at Rose's memories to see what the Valeyard had done to her."

"And?" Rory said.

"It…wasn't pretty," the Doctor said, trying to shake the mental image of her screaming from his memories. "I didn't get very far because it was so upsetting but the Valeyard tortured her for information and then tortured her just to torture her."

"So he's as bad as the Dream Lord then," Amy said.

"I'm thinking far worse," the Doctor said.

"There's something more. You're hesitating," River said, studying him.

"When I went through her memories, I went back before the Valeyard to see what was happening after I left her there. I came to one memory where John was scanning her body and doing bloodwork and I found out that Rose is part Time Lord."

"What?" Jack said while the others did double takes. "She is? Since when?"

"Since the Gamestation. I think," the Doctor said. "Rose had a "dream" where the Bad Wolf showed her that after it brought you back to life, it changed her into a Time Lady so she could be my companion for the rest of my lives."

"Dream?" River said. "If it's just a dream, how can she be sure?"

"Because when we were first separated, I called to her across the rift and she said my voice came to her first in a dream. The TARDIS is scanning her at this moment to be sure this is all true since human machines can be unreliable."

"But if that's true, John's gonna die while she lives on," Jack said.

The Doctor sighed and nodded.

"Yes. It's the reverse of my situation. Now she's the one with the Time Lord curse," he said.

"And you can't fix him?" Rory said.

"Dunno. I have to think of a solution. All I know is this situation is getting more and more complicated by the moment," the Doctor said, leaning up against one of the counters. "But for the moment, we have to find John first and make sure that TARDIS coral is safe before we can think of extending his life."

The Doctor glanced up when the TARDIS rumbled.

"She's done scanning Rose. Follow me," he said.

Everyone got up from the table and followed him back to the med bay. While they walked, River's mind raced. Rose was part Time Lord, just like she was. She cursed the fact that she was going backwards in the Doctor and her parent's time steams and she couldn't tell anyone about this. She had given up her last remaining regenerations to save the Doctor's life so this life would be her last. It filled her with sadness that she wouldn't be able to live on and spend the years with the Doctor, Jack and her new friend but she never regretted the fact that she saved the Doctor's life and he was here because of her. She wondered if she could get Rose alone at some point and at least tell her about being half Time Lord without revealing much else. At least she could help Rose adjust to her situation and she felt like she could trust Rose enough that she wouldn't tell anyone else.

They entered the med bay and Rose was sitting up on a long exam table. She had just gone through a long tube-like scanner that resembled a CAT scan.

"It stopped so I figured it was finished," she said when they entered.

"Yes, it is. And if you just sit there, I'll look at the results," the Doctor said.

He walked over to a large console on the left side of the room and stood there while he read from a monitor on top of it. While he did that, Jack sat down beside her.

"The Doctor told us about being half Time Lord," he said to her.

"Yeah, it's a huge shock," Rose said. "I can't believe it happened but at least I know about it now instead of 50 years from now when I still look the same age."

"It's official, Rose. The scans say you do have some Time Lord physiology," the Doctor said, glancing at her. "And the bone scan confirms that your aging process has been retarded."

"Wow, you're sorta like the Doctor now," Amy said to Rose.

"Except cuter," Jack said. "Well, cuter but not by much," he added while the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"So…will she change?" Rory said to the Doctor. "Will anything happen to her?"

"Well, according to the dream, Rose will get her second heart when she regenerates," the Doctor said while Rose nodded in agreement. "But if you mean will she grow green skin and become a lizard, that I don't know. If she does, I have an aquarium room and we'll put her in there with some rocks and a sunlamp and let her live."

"Ha ha," Rose said dryly while he gave her a cheeky grin. "I s'pose this means I have a bit of insurance then if I get seriously hurt. If I die, I know I'll probably regenerate now. I'm just glad the Valeyard didn't go far enough to kill me so he could see me change. I never would have been able to escape him then."

"Well, at least we know for sure," the Doctor said. "So if we do find John, we can tell him for sure that you have been changed. And speaking of which, I need to go to the console room and check on our progress so I'll see you lot later."

"Rose, can I speak to you privately for a moment," River said in Rose's ear while the Doctor left the room.

Rose nodded and River motioned for Rose to follow her. Rose excused herself and followed River out the door.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"What's wrong?" Rose said while she followed River.

"It's nothing bad," River said. "It's just a secret I want to share with you and…also a request. Um…is there somewhere we can go that will give us privacy?"

In response, a door appeared beside them. River and Rose stopped short, glanced at the door, glanced at each other and River opened it. She peeked inside and was surprised to see the inside of a café. The door was at the back of the café and across the room was a large picture window with a view of London outside.

"Wow, the TARDIS is just so amazing," Rose said as they stepped inside.

There were several little wooden tables with matching high backed wooden chairs. River closed the door and they chose one directly in front of the picture window. When they sat down opposite each other, a plump waiter came out of a door on the right side of the building and approached them with two menus.

"Welcome to Chez TARDIS, mademoiselles," he said, handing them the menus. "Everything is free for the Doctor's companions. Can I get you something to drink? Appetizer to start?"

Rose and River grinned at each other and opened the menus. Rose ordered a coffee and River ordered tea with milk with no appetizers. The waiter asked them if they wanted something to eat and Rose ordered fish and chips while River ordered chicken soup and salad. The waiter took their menus and promise to return with their meals.

"Yup, the TARDIS is wonderful," River said before taking a sip of her tea. "Um…well, I was just going to sit down and tell you the secret but this has thrown me for a loop," she said while Rose laughed. "I wasn't expecting lunch with my secret."

"Well I am a bit hungry after lying in that scanning machine not to mention everything else that's happened today. But go ahead and take your time, I'm listening."

River nodded. She was intending to tell her only about being part Time Lady but something made her decide that Rose could be trusted with everything. After making Rose swear not to tell anyone what she told her, she told her about her true identity and her life. Rose sat spellbound while she listened. When the food finally arrived, she absentmindedly picked at it with her fork while she listened. When River finally reached the end, Rose sat for a moment in a stunned silence.

"And you don't know why you're going backwards in the Doctor's timeline?" Rose said when she finally found her voice.

"No idea. I hate it because I'm never sure where I'm at in his timeline and I keep having to check diaries with him," River said, grateful that at last she could tell someone everything. "But please don't tell the Doctor or Amy and Rory, they can't know about this stuff."

"Your secret's safe with me, I promise," Rose said. "It's just amazing to meet someone else who's part Time Lady. But you said being in the TARDIS when you were conceived made you this way?"

"I think so, yeah."

"I've always wondered about this Bad Wolf and whether it really was a part of the TARDIS. If you became part Time Lord because of the TARDIS, maybe that's what happened to me as well. I just thought the Bad Wolf was some god-like thing that was in me or in the TARDIS and the energy from the TARDIS activated it."

"Don't know, I've never heard of the name "Bad Wolf" before but it's worth looking into," River said. "And now you'll have centuries to find it out."

"I wish you did," Rose said. "But I'm grateful that you sacrificed yourself to save the Doctor."

"So knowing him, I can't imagine not having him in my life," River said. "And now that I've told you my story…I have a request."

"Yeah?"

"Since you will live on past this life, I want you to take care of the Doctor after I'm gone from his life. Going backward, I know there'll come a time when he won't know me and that'll be it. That alone will kill me but I'll feel better knowing that after I'm gone, he won't be alone in the universe. So I just want you to look after him."

"Absolutely. That was my fear as well. That's what the Bad Wolf read in my mind and that's why it changed me. At least that's what my dream said."

River nodded.

"So, what about you? I've now bored you with my life. What about you? What were you doing before you met the Doctor?"

The two women ate their meal while Rose told River about her early life, how she met the Doctor and some of her adventures with them. When they finished, they looked around wondering what to do with the dirty dishes but they vanished from the table. River and Rose glanced at each other before getting up and going back to the console room.

"Ah!" the Doctor said when they entered the console room. "There you are. Good."

"Sorry, sweetie, just having a friendly chat," River said.

"And lunch," Rose added.

"Excellent. Now that you're filled with food and chat, we can fill you in on what's happened since then. The TARDIS found a rift that's big enough for us to go through."

"That's wonderful," River said.

"Yes, we're speeding there now. It was ten billion light years away from where we were so the TARDIS is going hell for leather to it before it closes. I've checked the stabilizer and I think it'll hold. All we need to do is hold on tight when it does go through because it'll be a hell of a bumpy ride. But it shouldn't take too long and once we're through, we can get down to business."

They looked around when the TARDIS started to flash her lights on and off.

"That's the signal that she's nearly there. Come with me. We'll go into another room while she's doing it so we're not rolling all over the console room. Follow me!"

Everyone hurried out of the room. They went to the living room and sat down in the chairs. The TARDIS temporarily affixed them to the floor so they wouldn't move around and when the shaking started, everyone held on tight while the Doctor yelled out, "GERONIMO!"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"There!" the Doctor said when the TARDIS stopped vibrating. "We made it!"

"You sure?" Jack said, rubbing his cheek, "I don't think my teeth have stopped vibrating yet."

"So we're back in Norway then?" Rose said as they got up from the chairs.

"Dunno. We could be anywhere this time," the Doctor said. "Half to check the scanners. First things first though. We need to find John."

"On it," Rose said, pulling out her mobile.

"Are you sure that's safe?" the Doctor said, pointing to it.

"Dad gave us mobiles with a secure line so yeah, I think it's safe," Rose said.

She dialed a number and everyone sat for the moment and watched her. There was a moment's silence and then Rose smiled.

"John? It's me," she said as she began to walk around. "Listen. I managed to escape and find help…the Doctor. I went across the void and found him…yes…I know it was dangerous but I was being held by the Valeyard and I managed to get away from him and I used the dimension cannon. But, the Doctor found a way to come back safely and he's here with me and Jack is as well and he has some new friends…Amy Pond, her husband, Rory and a woman called River…River Song, yeah."

"Hey, he knows me," River said to the others.

"Well, at the moment we don't know where we're at. Where are you? Did you get mum and dad and Tony to safety…you're where?"

Rose lowered the mobile slightly.

"Albuquerque. They're in Albuquerque," Rose said.

"All of them? Your family as well?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah. They're using assumed names and hiding out in a hotel there," Rose said before she resumed her conversation with John.

"Albuquerque, at least it'll be warm," Jack said.

"Okay…um…well, he's here but…he regenerated so he's one life ahead of ya now," Rose said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow when Rose stared at him intently for a moment.

"Geeky," she finally said into the mobile.

"What did he just say?" the Doctor said while his friends giggled.

"John just asked me what you looked like," Rose said to him.

"I am not geeky, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said as everyone laughed harder.

"He is not geeky, those are his words," Rose said into the phone while the Doctor flipped her off. "Um, okay, wait a tic…do ya wanna talk to him?" she asked the Doctor as she lowered the mobile.

The Doctor nodded and Rose told John she was passing the mobile to the Doctor before handing it to him.

"John?" the Doctor said.

"Never thought I'd be speaking to you again," John said.

The Doctor felt that weird out of body sensation when he heard his old voice speaking to him through the phone.

"Never thought I'd see Rose again," he said to John. "But I couldn't deny her request for help, especially if the Valeyard is loose in your world. Are you safe?"

"For the moment," John said.

"And the coral?"

"Here. It's in a drawer in my hotel room. Is Rose safe?"

"She's fine. The dimension cannon wasn't aimed correctly and she fell out of the sky and had a concussion but she's fine now."

"Normally, I wouldn't agree with her use of that but if she was escaping that bastard, I'm glad she found you," John said. "Is the TARDIS with you?"

"We're inside it."

"Then that puts us in even more danger now, especially if the Valeyard figures out there's a fully functioning time machine within his grasp."

"I'm hiding it. I'll put it a second out of sync with time so he can't see it. He doesn't seem to know about it so he won't know about the time differential."

"Good idea. I can give you the address for the hotel and we can meet in the lobby. I'm staying in a separate room from Rose's family. No bloody way am I gonna hide with them in the same room."

The Doctor chuckled.

"I don't blame ya, mate," he said.

"Mate? So, we're calling a truce then?" John said.

"I didn't think we had a feud to begin with. I thought this was best for everyone, especially since Rose said you struggled with a bit of an identity crisis. Here, you're the only Doctor whereas over there, you'd have to compete with me. But yes…if there was any sort of animosity between us, I'm calling a truce."

"Thank you. What's River doing there, by the way?"

"She travels with me from time to time. She found me again," the Doctor said, glancing at her. "Don't worry, she's indispensible. Although, she likes using guns but then again, so does Jack so just tipping you off to that."

"I'm easy to get along with!" River called out. "I won't point the gun at you, sweetie."

"Hear that?" the Doctor said to John.

"Yes. Tell her, that's good to know."

"He says that's good to know," the Doctor said to River while everyone laughed. "Well, I'll pass the mobile back to Rose and set a course for Albuquerque. The quicker we can get there, the quicker we can hide the TARDIS from view. Just give me the address of the hotel."

"I have an idea. I'll give you the address of the bus station. I want to get some air so I'll meet you up there and we can take the bus back."

John quickly gave the Doctor the address to the bus station and the time and date. The Doctor thanked him and gave the mobile back to Rose before he left the room. While Rose finished her conversation with him, River looked at Jack.

"Ooo, this Doctor knows me," she teased. "And two Doctors at the same time. The mind races."

"Tell me about it!" Jack teased back. "It'll be like a Time Lord smorgasbord."

"Sometimes I feel so left out of things," Amy said to Rory.

"You mean you're upset you're not a member of the perverted minds club, dear?" Rory deadpanned while River and Jack sniggered. "If you wanna join in on the whole bonking two Doctors at once fantasy thing, don't mind me. I'll be thinking of you in lingerie and occupying my time with that."

"Wow, he's not upset that I might go off and bonk the two Doctors," Amy teased while River and Jack chuckled.

"Actually, I normally would be very upset but seeing as how I'm facing possible torture and death by someone who looks like the Dream Lord but isn't the Dream Lord, I'm too busy thinking up ways to stay alive to care at the moment," Rory said.

"We'll get through it," Jack said, patting his knee. "I'm sure we've all faced worse things. I know I have."

"Easy for you to say, you can come back to life whenever you die," Rory said.

"Well, in fairness, you've come back from the grave as well," Amy said to him.

"Yes, but unlike him, there's no guarantee I'll be back once I've snuffed it," Rory said to her while he pointed to Jack. "So I'd rather be prepared because not all of us run balls first into danger like the Doctor does."

"Well, John's on his way to the bus station," Rose said, ending the call and putting the mobile back in her pocket. "I'm just glad he's safe, glad they're all safe. Now if we can stay safe through all this, that'll be a miracle."

"We will, Blondie," Jack said. "If there's any trouble, I'll just run balls first into it."

Everyone laughed when Rory flipped him off and Jack patted Rory's shoulder when he stood up.

"Well, fellow adventurers," Jack said to everyone. "If John's on his way to the bus station. I say we head up to the console room and prepare to follow the Doctor outside into the hot Albuquerque day so we can meet him."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

When Jack opened the door and peeked outside, he looked around and saw they were parked in an alley near the bus station. He paused a moment and smiled when he felt the warm summer sun hit his face.

"Oh yeah, if you're gonna hide, hide in the American southwest," he said, stepping out and taking a deep breath. "I could definitely get used to this and…"

He trailed off when a zeppelin slowly flew into view. He craned his neck up and shielded his eyes from the sun while he watched it fly overhead.

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto," he said while he watched it.

"Wow, that's interesting."

Jack looked at River when she spoke. Everyone else had come out of the TARDIS and noticed the zeppelin. They were looking at it while the Doctor closed the TARDIS door.

"So, this is one of the main differences here?" River asked the Doctor as she pointed up. "Those things?"

"Seems so," the Doctor said. "Come on, let's get to the bus station before John arrives."

"We need to find out how to buy one of those things," Amy said, pointing up while they walked. "Wouldn't mind hiding out in a zeppelin."

"Until it Hindenburged on you," Rory said.

"Do they explode like that?" Amy said to Rose as they crossed the street to the bus station

"Not since I've been here. I don't think they use hydrogen. It's some sort of mixture that's hard to ignite. If they were like the Hindenburg, they wouldn't let them fly over major cities."

Now that they were out of the alley, they noticed other airships in the sky. They also noticed hills rising up majestically behind the bus station. They all stopped to look at them.

"Yup, I could definitely get used to this," Jack said. "Warm day, beautiful view, two blondes just willing to do whatever I say, it's paradise."

"I hope you're not referring to us," River said, gesturing to her and Rose.

"Who else would he be referring to?" the Doctor said. "You lot haven't figured out that you're his prey?"

"I wouldn't think of it as prey. Only as potential fuck buddies," Jack said.

"Wow! And I thought the Doctor had a monstrous ego," River said, shaking her head while Rose laughed. "Come along, Rose, before we get thrown down in front of a bus and raped."

"Yeah, let's go find John before Jack gets any ideas!" Rose said before they walked off.

"I'm only saying that a three-way could be fun between us," Jack said as they hurried off. "Ah well, I'll get you someday, I swear I will. In the meantime, I'll hang out with Pond and other Pond."

"Oh boy, the serial rapist is following us now. Better cover your arse, Amy," Rory said while Amy sniggered.

Jack chuckled warmly and the three of them headed into the bus station while the Doctor looked around. He had mixed feelings about seeing his clone again, especially after watching him snog Rose. He had agreed to go along with Rose's plan in order to keep harmony but that didn't mean he had to like it. Now that Rose was a Time Lady, he felt himself becoming more and more possessive of her. He knew that technically Rose wasn't being unfaithful to him since John was technically him but it still didn't sit well to see her kissing another version on himself. Still, there were more important things to worry about than fighting over Rose and he was determined to keep things amicable between everyone.

He looked at Rose and River who were standing at the corner chatting and pointing up at the hills. It pleased him that they had become close since he knew the two of them had many things in common and breaking up fights between them was the last thing he wanted to do. He sauntered over to them, came up behind him and put his hands on their shoulders. Neither woman turned but he saw them glance at each other.

"The gigolo is back," Rose said to River.

"Couldn't keep away from the blondes for long, could he?" River said.

"Not when the two blondes are so irresistible," the Doctor said.

River and Rose jerked their heads around.

"Oh! It's you, I thought it was Jack," Rose said.

"Well, if you were expecting the gigolo, I could go fetch him," the Doctor said innocently.

"No!" they both said quickly.

The Doctor chuckled and patted their shoulders.

"No, Harkness wandered off with Amy and Rory and since Rory will deck him if he tries anything, I'm confident he's behaving himself at the moment," the Doctor said.

"Your friend is quite an interesting character," River said to the Doctor. "Seems his libido is permanently stuck in the "on" position."

"Yes. I noticed that," he said while Rose giggled. "Made for some irritating times back when he traveled full time with me and Rose. Especially since at that time I was an irritable bloke."

Rose snorted.

"That's an understatement," she said to River. "All the time it was sod off followed by hold me followed by sod off again and then it was hold me some more and then sod off, I don't wanna be held now and then wait a minute, I do and…"

River laughed when the Doctor clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Poor delusional thing, doesn't know fact from fiction sometimes. Bless," he said while Rose giggled through his hand.

He took his hand away when Rose's mobile rang. She answered it and spoke to John, telling him that they were outside the bus station.

"He's here; he's searching for us and…"

Rose trailed off when the Doctor ran off down an incline and hid behind a stone wall beside the bus station.

"Act of cowardice?" River said to Rose.

"Either that or he's going to jump up and say boo to him," Rose said with a shrug.

She pointed when John came out of the bus station doors and looked around. A big grin broke over John's face when he saw Rose and he ran to her. Rose caught him in a huge embrace and they held one another while River watched. John tenderly kissed her cheek and murmured how much he missed her in her ear. Then he opened his eyes and looked at River.

"River?" he said.

"Doctor," she said with a nod.

"You have blonde hair," John said.

River frowned.

"Have I not been blonde?" she said as he and Rose walked to her.

"Well, I remember you having brown hair and it was more tightly curled but you look good."

"So do you. I've never met this version before. You're very handsome."

"You've never met me? What about the…"

"John, wait," Rose said, holding up her hand before he said too much. "It's odd but she's going backwards in the Doctor's timestream so she hasn't come to the time when the Doctor first met her."

"Really?" John said. "How is that possible? How are you going backwards?"

"Dunno but she's right. The first time you meet me is the last time I'll see you."

"Oh. Well, you had brown hair before but the blonde is nice. So where are the others? Where's the Doctor?"

"You didn't see Jack?" Rose said.

"I got off the bus and made a beeline for the front of the bus station, if I passed him, I didn't see him."

"Odd he didn't say anything to ya but maybe he wasn't looking in your direction," Rose said. "I thought he and Amy and Rory went inside but maybe they went somewhere else. As for the Doctor…"

She glanced at River, unsure of whether to tell John where the Doctor went.

"The Doctor…was here and then he went off towards the bridge," she said, pointing to cars going across a stone bridge at the bottom of the incline. "He might have gone down to the subway," she said, pointing to the walkway under the bridge.

"Or…he might be right here."

John looked at the Doctor when he walked up.

"I did that to allow some bonding time between you and Rose before we had to meet," the Doctor said, walking up to them.

John raised his eyebrow as he looked at him.

"I think Rose hit the nail right on the head when she said geeky," he said.

The Doctor eyed Rose when she bent over laughing. John was studying his clothing.

"If this is the next life, I'm glad I'm stopping with this one," he said. "No offense but you're growing younger. At this rate, you'll be a fetus on your last life."

"Isn't it wonderful when old friends meet?" the Doctor said dryly while River and Rose laughed hysterically. "All the wonderful things that get said like haven't seen you in ages, you look well and you'll be a fetus before too long. It's the reason why I love tender reunions."

"Only saying, I wouldn't have chosen tweed but you're you and I'm me and I won't say anything more about it. One thing though, mate, where the fuck are your eyebrows at?"

"Okay, going to find the others now, see you later!" the Doctor said, walking off while River and Rose gasped with laughter.

Rose stopped him while River volunteered to find the others. She walked off before the Doctor could change his mind and the two men faced each other. John was dressed casually, wearing a grey t-shirt with blue jeans and white Nikes with a red swoosh. His hair wasn't spiked up but was lying down on his head. John brushed his fringe out of his eyes and then extended his hand to the Doctor.

"I said before that if there is any animosity that we bury the hatchet, so to speak, so here I am being the first to welcome you here to New Mexico."

The Doctor smiled and Rose smiled with him when he warmly shook his hand.

"I was thinking we could go somewhere and eat while we talk," John said. "I know a very good Mexican restaurant. We can get out of the heat and compare notes."

"Sounds good to me," the Doctor said.

"I've eaten but I can have a salad while we talk," Rose said.

They looked over when River came out of the bus station and called out that she found the others. They walked out behind her and Jack grinned as he waved to him. Amy did a double take when she saw John.

"That's him? He's cute," she said as they walked towards him.

"Hey, nice to see you again," Jack said, taking John's hand. "And it's nice to have a name to call you beside Doctor Number Two."

"Nah, I'm living as a human so I took a human name. Nice to see you again, Harkness. And this is?" he said when Amy and Rory walked up.

"I'm Amy Pond, nice to meet ya," she said, shaking his hand.

"Rory. I'm her husband. Nice to meet ya as well," Rory said, shaking his hand.

"John Smith, always nice to meet new friends. I told the Doctor we could eat at a Mexican restaurant that I've developed a fondness for. I have money for it and bus fare so if everyone's ready, let's go and get out of this heat, eh?"

Everyone followed him back into the bus station and soon they were on a bus heading towards the Mexican restaurant.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

The bus stopped near a large Mexican restaurant. The outside of it resembled a Spanish hacienda and mariachi music blared from a speaker near the door. John checked the amount of cash in his wallet before all of them went inside. The interior had adobe walls with southwestern and Mexican décor on the walls and the same music blaring from speakers overhead. A young Hispanic waitress led them to a large table near the back of the restaurant. The table was in front of a large window and sombreros and serapes decorated the walls beside it. They sat down and the waitress put a large bowl of tortilla chips down on the table in between them along with some hot and mild salsa. She gave them glasses of water and menus, took their drink orders and left. The Doctor looked around at the people sitting around them.

"This is nice," he said to John.

"Yeah. I got tired of sitting in my hotel room and took a chance one day and went out and explored. I found this place and grew quite fond of it. It has great food so order whatever you like."

Rose took a tortilla chip out of the bowl and nibbled on it. She was sitting next to John while the Doctor and River sat across from them. Jack sat beside River and Amy and Rory sat beside John.

"How did you decide on Albuquerque?" the Doctor asked John.

"Well, obviously, getting out of England was top priority," John said. "Although…I had to practically drag Jackie onto the plane before she'd come. She's furious that I left Rose behind so Rose, you'll get an earful when you see her again, just warning ya."

"I told you to leave me behind and take the coral somewhere," Rose said.

"That doesn't matter to Jackie. All she knows is I left you behind so just warning you that she'll probably yell at you for staying behind. But…we decided on here. Jackie wanted someplace warm and I thought perhaps the Valeyard would start with Europebefore looking here. We used fake names and passports and got out before the terror alert went out."

"Terror alert?" Jack said.

John snorted.

"Remember when Saxon said you were terrorists and put your faces on the telly? Valeyard did that as well. Said we were terrorists and somehow was able to put our names on a no fly list. But we left before he did it."

"But that means you can't fly anywhere now," River said.

"Yup. Which is why I never tried to go back for Rose. We got stuck here and unless we all have extensive plastic surgery and wear heavy disguises, we'll more than likely be nabbed the moment we show up at the airport. That made Jackie even more angry because Rose was stuck in England and here we were and we couldn't get back to her. That's why I started exploring on my own because I got tired of her constantly asking when we'd go back to find her. Course being angry and being fearful for Rose's safety hasn't stopped her from shopping. Here we are being chased by a madman and she's still wanting to go to the shops."

"Well, I can't fault her for that. I did that too," Rose said.

"Yeah but even you had sense enough to buy small items. You oughta see the huge Indian handmade pot she has in her room now. Tony can almost sit inside it. How we're gonna get that back to England, I'll never know. I s'pose she'll be badgering you for the TARDIS now," he said to the Doctor.

"Sorry, I'm not a delivery service. I'll transport her but not a pot. She's got more important things to worry about right now."

"You'd think that but then you see her pull Pete into another southwestern curios shop and buy something else. I s'pose she probably figures if she's gonna die, she'll die with new items to look at. For those of you in our group who have never met Jackie, I pity you because she's one of those people you could do without but since she's Rose's mum, we'll all have to tolerate her."

"So this Valeyard," Rory said, "has he taken over London then?"

John held his tongue since the waitress returned with their drinks. After placing them in front of everyone, they all ordered their meals and she left. Once she was out of earshot, John apologized for the delay.

"From what I can glean from internet and telly and the newspapers, he hasn't done much of anything that I can see, at least not publically," John said to Rory. "If his aim is to take over the world, he's doing it behind the scenes since no one's mentioned him. He has his spies though; we found a few planted inside Torchwood."

"Yes. Rose said someone betrayed her to him," the Doctor said while Rose nodded. "But it seems like he has no idea who you really are and doesn't seem to know what the TARDIS is."

"Yes. And that's an advantage for us since he won't be trying to locate the TARDIS," John said. "All the same you should still hide it since he is trying to get his hands on our coral so he obviously wants a time machine."

"Which might explain why he hasn't made much noise," Jack said. "He might think it's too much trouble to take over the world now when he could just lay his hands on a time machine, go back in time and seize the world then."

"That was my thought as well," John said with a nod. "If he's anything like the other Valeyard, he won't make any sudden moves. Everything will be worked out and carried out with clockwork precision. Did you manage to get away from him, Rose?"

"No. He captured me and did a mind probe," Rose said, leaving out mention of the torture she went through.

"So he may know the truth about me now," John said with a sigh. "Great. And I'm sure he'll now want a highly advanced half alien being to go with his time machine. But that's not as important as the fact that you got away from him and you're safe now."

"John. The Doctor looked at my memories to see what happened when I was captured and he knows about the part Time Lord thing."

"And I did a scan on the TARDIS and the diagnosis is correct. She's part Time Lord," the Doctor said.

John took a sip of his iced tea before he answered the Doctor.

"And how do you feel about that?" he asked the Doctor.

"I have mixed feelings. I wish the Bad Wolf hadn't changed her but I'm glad she didn't suffer like Donna did."

"Huh? Bad Wolf? What's the Bad Wolf got to do with it and what do you mean Donna suffered? Suffered how?" John said.

Rose told him about the dream and then the Doctor told everyone what happened to Donna. While he was talking, their food came but everyone was too busy listening to the Doctor to start eating. While the Doctor was describing what happened to Donna, John sat in a stricken silence.

"I always feared that would happen," John said when the Doctor finished speaking. "Oh God, Donna…I know that touching that jar was part of her destiny but all the same…"

He shook his head and took another sip of iced tea.

"If that's what happened to her…yes, I'm glad Rose was spared that. I couldn't think of anything worse than to have her lose all her memories of traveling with us," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. "But where does this leave us now that I'm going to grow old and die and she'll remain young. Is she going back to you now?"

"Perhaps we can speak about that when we get back to the hotel…in private," the Doctor said. "We need to come up with a plan to get to the Valeyard and stop him. That's my first priority."

John nodded and Rose gave his hand a squeeze. The Doctor kept his face passive when she threaded her fingers in between his and they held hands. He hoped that John would accept their idea of letting Rose be with him for the moment and not fly off the handle that now he was stepping back in and laying a claim on her again. To his credit, John said nothing more about their situation and instead everyone ate and began to brainstorm on a workable plan to get back to England and stop the Valeyard.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

As they rode the bus back to the station, they all rode in the back seats. Jack sat across from John and Rose and asked John about coming to work for Torchwood. The Doctor could tell that John was considering his offer, especially since John was pointing out that if Jackie stayed behind he'd never have to see her again.

"It's tempting," John said when Jack paused to let him think it over. "Wouldn't mind working for your team. But would you be alright with me being back in the other universe?" he asked the Doctor.

"I don't mind. I think the Earth could use your expertise. Torchwood is badly needed. Sarah can only do so much and if Jack can put his team back together and help protect the Earth, so much the better. I think we can coexist in the same universe."

"And you?" John asked Rose.

"I wouldn't mind. I've always loved working with Jack. And none of your cheek about me being your love slave," she said, pointing to Jack when he started to open his mouth.

Jack closed his mouth and gave her a cheeky grin while John looked at him and his girlfriend.

"Will you be safe around him?" he said to Rose while he gestured to Jack.

"As safe as I normally am."

"I promise I won't pounce on her during a fight and shag her brains out," Jack said, crossing his heart with his finger. "I need you both. Rose wants me to put the team back together and I would love it if you came with us. At the moment it's only Gwen and me, although Rhys does help out in an unofficial capacity."

"I'm all for this. That is, if we can sort this mess out here," John said.

"We will. We're made of awesome!" Jack said.

The bus pulled into the bus station and everyone got off. The Doctor led them across the street to the TARDIS. John smiled as he laid his hand on the side of the box.

"So, you're hiding her here?" John asked the Doctor.

"For the moment. If we go back toEngland, we can take her there. That way we can avoid the airlines and the no fly list," the Doctor said. "Question is, do we take Jackie and Pete and Tony and leave them in here or do we leave them here in Albuquerque?"

"I think we should take them," Amy said. "That way we know they're safe."

"Yes. That's true," the Doctor said. "But that means Jackie will be loose inside my TARDIS."

"Oh come on, she's not that bad, is she?" Amy said.

She raised her eyebrow when the Doctor, John and Jack all gave her pointed looks.

"Well, surely we aren't leaving her in danger," Amy said.

"No, we're not. I know you lot aren't fond of mum but she deserves to be kept safe," Rose said. "We're keeping her inside the TARDIS."

"So…Rose is in charge now, eh?" Jack teased the Doctors.

"Well…she is if we don't want our faces slapped off," the Doctor said. "Fine. We'll keep Rose's family in here but I'm asking my ship to put some barriers up so she doesn't wander off and lose herself forever in here somewhere."

"So are you ready to go see her?" John said. "I know she's waiting for Rose to come back."

"Let's get it over with then," Rose said with a sigh. "I'm not looking forward to this."

"Do you need me to stand by your side when she yells at you?" John asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No. That'll make it worse. I'll be alright. I can handle my mum."

John nodded and kissed her cheek. They waited while the Doctor went inside the TARDIS. He was gone for about five minutes and when he came outside, he told the others that he had the TARDIS on a short delay after which she would go out of sync with time. After a minute, the TARDIS suddenly faded from view.

"There, she's hidden," the Doctor said.

"Let's ride back to the hotel then," John said.

All of them went back across the street and caught the bus to the hotel. It was about a half hour ride before they reached the Motel 6 by the highway.

"Not very posh but it's only 36 dollars a night," John said as they stepped off the bus. "We've been paying by the week…or rather Pete's been paying by the week. He's the one with all the money."

He led them to the stairs and they went up to the second level. The doors of the rooms were all facing the outside balcony and John led them to the door on the end. He knocked on the door and Pete opened it.

"Rose is here," he said to him.

"'Bout bloody time!" Jackie said from inside the room.

Rose winced and the Doctor gave her a sympathetic look as Jackie pushed past her husband and walked out onto the balcony.

"So…there you are, young lady," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "We've been worried sick about ya!"

"Mum, I'm fine," Rose said. "Really. Nothing happened to me. I'm alright."

"Well, it's a good thing," Jackie said. "Bad enough he leaves you behind but then you go missing and we can't contact ya? What were you thinking?"

Jackie looked around at everyone and her eyes settled on Jack. He gave her a friendly wave.

"Who are all these people? I remember this one," she said, pointing to Jack.

"Nice to see you again, Jackie," Jack said.

"Yeah, likewise. Who are all of you then?" she said, looking around.

"Well, I'm the Doctor for starters. Hello again, Jackie."

Jackie did a double take and her mouth dropped open as she stared at the Doctor.

"You changed…again?" she said.

"Yeah, I did," the Doctor said.

"Rose, are you sure you wanna be friends with him? This is the third body in…what…five years? Just what have you been doing now?" she said to the Doctor.

"I've been saving the universe. And yourself?" the Doctor said.

"Who are the others then?" she said, ignoring the Doctor.

The Doctor made introductions. Jackie said a quick hello and then looked at the Doctor.

"So why are you here?" she said to him.

"I'm here to help. Rose found me again and asked me to come so I gathered a team together and here we are."

"You went to the other universe again?" Jackie yelled at Rose.

Rose flinched and looked around.

"Mum, can we talk inside your room before everyone else comes out here?" she said.

"Fine. Get in here, I want an explanation and it better be good," Jackie said, going back inside the room.

Everyone gave Rose a sympathetic look when she sheepishly followed her mother into the room. Pete stepped outside and closed the door behind them.

"Sorry, she's been worried about Rose ever since we got here," Pete said. "I had to deal with her anger and John did as well and now it's Rose's turn. I'm glad you're here though. We've tried to figure out a way to deal with this Valeyard bloke without ending up dead. If you've come, then we have a fighting chance," he said to the Doctor. "Have you dealt with him before?"

"I've dealt with one version of him in my universe," the Doctor said.

"So you might have a way to stop him?" Pete said.

"We've been brainstorming and trying to find a solution but I think we can be successful."

Pete nodded.

"I'll go downstairs and get some rooms for all of you. Have you eaten?"

They nodded and Pete told them he would take them out to dinner later so they could talk. John used his card key and unlocked the door to his room so everyone could rest while they waited for Pete to rent the rooms. While everyone was going inside, the Doctor asked John if they could talk in private. John nodded. He told everyone to make themselves at home and once everyone was inside, he shut the door and he and the Doctor walked off.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

The Doctor and John walked down the stairs, out into the parking lot and walked to the far corner where they stopped by a large dumpster. They looked at the highway and the cars whizzing past them for a moment before John spoke.

"Rose was being vague about her captivity. The Valeyard did more than just hold her prisoner, didn't he?" he said to the Doctor.

"Yes. He tortured her. First to obtain information and then just for the hell of it."

"Damn that fucking bastard! I'll kill him with my bare hands!" John snarled.

He remembered himself and coughed nervously.

"Sorry, letting that anger of mine get the best of me," he said.

"Actually, this time I share your sentiment," the Doctor said.

"You want her back, don't you?" John said. "Now that she's a Time Lady, you want her back."

The Doctor sighed and leaned up against the dumpster as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Rose and I spoke about that. I am in a relationship with River at the moment but you know what happens to her eventually."

"River? So all those implications about the two of you being married are true?"

"Not yet. And I have to admit that at first I played along with her flirting and advances because of what she implied in the Library. But then I found myself actually falling in love with her."

"So how does she feel about Rose…or does she know?"

"She knows. And she and Rose are friends, much to my relief."

"Good. It wouldn't do for your two wives to be at odds with one another," John said with a sneer.

"John. I don't want to take her away from you," the Doctor said.

"But she'll land up with you eventually."

"Yes. But we agreed to stay in the relationships we're in at the moment."

"Until River and I snuff it and then you have each other free and clear!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do, John?" the Doctor said angrily. "I can't change what the Bad Wolf did. I had no clue she was part Time Lord until now so I thought it would be better if she went with you so you could grow old together. Now unless I can find a way to make you into a full Time Lord you're going to have to face the fact that you'll grow old while she remains young and yes, one day, you will snuff it and then Rose will be alone. Same with River. River is going to die one day and seeing as how that's already happened for me, I can't change it now. So apart from Jack, centuries from now it'll be just me and Rose. Now I gave Rose to you and it would be bad form for me to snatch her back from you, especially when you've become close. So if you want to be with her for however long you have left, she's yours. Now…is that alright since that means you get to keep her for the rest of your life?"

"And you're okay with this arrangement?" John said. "Especially if we go back to the other universe with you?"

"I ask that I remain friends with you. But yes, I'm okay with this arrangement. I think it'll benefit everyone and in our case, it ensures that Rose will never have to be alone. Now if you want to become a full Time Lord, I can try to find a solution to that and…"

John held up his hand and shook his head.

"I've gotten used to being human and to be honest; living for centuries doesn't appeal to me any longer. I have ten lives worth of memories and that's enough. I'd rather live out this life and find some peace in death."

"I understand," the Doctor said, nodding. "I've had the same thoughts from time to time so I can understand not wanting to prolong this life."

"Having said that, I'll probably regret my words when I'm old and creaky and senile but for the moment, I'd rather stay as I am. I just hope Rose will want me when I'm old and grey."

"I think she will. I think she's willing to go the distance with you, John. She's the one that came up with the idea of staying with our significant others for the time being. Rose loves you. I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you. Not to mention hoovering your face on the beach was a pretty big clue."

John chuckled and nodded.

"What about River? Does she know about this arrangement?" John asked.

"Not yet. But if Rose stays with you, I don't think I'll tell her. I'll just wait until the day we meet each other and the presumably I'll never see her again after that."

John shook his head.

"This going backwards in time is odd. Does she know why she's doing that?"

"If she knows, she hasn't told me. Spoilers, you know."

John rolled his eyes.

"Still sticking to that, eh?" John said.

"Most definitely. But…for all her secrets, she is indispensible in battle and she's proved her loyalty to me time and again so I absolutely trust her."

"Good because we'll need all the trustworthy people we can get," John said.

He looked over the Doctor's shoulder and pointed up at the hotel. The Doctor turned and saw Rose coming out of her mother's room, a sour look on her face. The Doctor called to her when she shut the door and she looked their way and smiled before heading for the stairs.

"I suppose Jackie's had her say," the Doctor said to John.

"I hope so. I hope she doesn't keep badgering Rose, she's been through enough as it is," John said.

Rose walked up to them.

"The Doctor told me about this odd arrangement of ours," John said, putting his arm around her. "I get you until I die and then you revert to him, eh?"

"And that's okay with ya?" Rose asked.

"Well, I s'pose if you ran back to him it wouldn't be cheating since he's me and I'm him but if you want to do this and grow old with me…or I grow old and you just live with me…but do you want to do this?"

"I do. I love you both and I want to be with you until the day you die," Rose said.

"Even if I grow old and grey and fart and belch and wet myself and poo in the bed and creak when I walk and throw up when I eat prunes?"

The Doctor giggled at the shocked look on Rose's face.

"Well gee; you put it that way…" Rose said while John gave her an impish grin. "Okay, yeah, I'll stay with you through all that."

"Then I'll grow old and happily poo all over the bed then."

"Um…we can leave out the pooing on the bed thing, thanks," Rose said while John and the Doctor laughed. "Mum was cross with me but I managed to calm her down and she's not angry now."

"Well, that's a mercy. I didn't want to spend the entire night listening to her rant and rave about my irresponsible behavior."

"I told her that I forced you to go so you could protect the coral and that you wanted to stay so you weren't abandoning me. So she's not angry at ya."

"Again, that's a mercy since I've had the harpy on my back since we got here," John said. "I think I will take Jack up on his offer to work at Torchwood. A universe apart from her is too tempting to pass up."

"Unless she comes with us," Rose said.

"P'eh! And leave behind her riches? She's not that insane," John said while the Doctor chuckled. "She loves you but I doubt she'll go back to the Powell Estate after living in the mansion and having a chauffeur drive her everywhere. Nope, I think you and I will go to the other universe and leave her far, far behind."

The Doctor watched while Rose and John shared a passionate kiss. Then he heard Pete calling to them and he saw him coming out of the office holding up the card keys for them. John took Rose's hand while the three of them walked over to get the card keys from Pete.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

After going out to eat, everyone came back and relaxed for the night. The Doctor and River shared a room while Rose stayed with John in his room. Jack agreed to share a room with the Ponds so Pete would only have to pay for two extra rooms. The rooms were two doors down from Rose and John's room so they were still close enough that they could visit them. They had agreed to leave in the morning and take the TARDIS back to England so the Doctor and his team could begin their task of defeating the Valeyard. After they ate, they stopped at a store and Pete purchased toiletry items for everyone so they could shower and wash up.

River was lying on the bed closest to the door watching cable TV while the Doctor took a shower. She rolled her eyes at the Doctor's loud off-key singing as he showered. Finally, with a sigh, she turned the TV off, got up and walked to the bathroom door.

"Sweetie, word of advice," she said, knocking on the door. "Get voice lessons because you sound like a dying cow."

She chuckled when she heard nothing except the hiss of the water from the shower.

"I do not!" the Doctor finally yelled. "I trained under Pavarotti!"

"Well you shoulda trained a bit harder, love. I'm surprised the neighborhood cats and dogs haven't joined in by now."

"I sing exceptionally well!" the Doctor yelled.

River tested the door and smiled when she found it unlocked. She opened it and walked in. The Doctor was in the bathtub, a flimsy white shower curtain separating him from River. River walked quietly to the back of the tub and stuck her head in behind the curtain. The Doctor gasped and quickly covered his genitals. River snorted.

"I've seen it before, trust me," she said dryly.

"What do you want?" the Doctor said, looking over his shoulder.

"Well, I was hoping my being in here would stop the tone deaf singing and lo and behold, I was right. You're not singing and my ears have been spared."

"I'm nearly finished if you don't mind."

"You are? Blast. Well, I could prolong the shower if you want," she cooed.

"There's not enough room in here for us both," the Doctor said, pointing to the tiny tub.

"I could stand outside and stick my head in like this. All you have to do is come forward and I'll let my mouth do the rest," she said with a wink.

The Doctor considered that for a moment.

"Wouldn't that get uncomfortable for you after a bit?" he asked.

"I'll make a valiant sacrifice for you," River replied.

The Doctor was about to say more when they heard a knock on the front door.

"I think Jack just heard you," the Doctor said.

"In that case, I'll let him down gently. Keep on showering, sweetie, I'll go see who it is," she said, sticking her head back out.

She walked out and shut the door behind her. She opened the door and smiled at Amy and Rory.

"Hi, are we bothering anyone?" Amy said.

"Nope, just relaxing. Come in," River said to them.

"Thanks. Is the Doctor in the shower?" Amy said.

"Yes. But he's nearly finished."

"WHO IS IT?" the Doctor yelled.

"AMY AND RORY!" River yelled back as she shut the door behind them.

"BE OUT IN A MINUTE!" the Doctor yelled back.

"Is something wrong?" River said, sitting down on her bed and gesturing for the Ponds to sit opposite her.

"We've been talking," Rory said as he and Amy sat down. "We were thinking since the Valeyard doesn't know us that Amy and I can try to infiltrate Torchwood and try to find out what his plan is."

"By yourselves? Are you sure you want to go in alone when you have all of us?" River said.

"We thought we could go in first and try to find out what he's up to and then you lot can have that information when you attack," Amy said.

"Well…if you're doing this, I want to come with you. He won't know me either and I want to help. I'd feel better if I went with you," she said.

"I don't mind. Rory?"

"I think that's a good idea. I think the three of us could handle anything that came up," Rory said.

"But how are we going to get in there?" River said.

The door opened and the Doctor emerged, fully clothed, while he dried his wet hair with a small white towel.

"Amy, Rory, nice to see you," he said, draping the towel over his shoulders. "What did you need? Just come to chit chat or is there something more?"

Amy told the Doctor what they wanted to do. The Doctor picked up a comb and began to comb his hair.

"What would be your cover story though?" he said as he combed his hair. "You need a way to get past any guards he has, otherwise your brilliant plan is all for naught."

"We could say that we're visiting scientists and we had no idea that Torchwood had been taken over since we were scheduled in advance to visit," Amy said.

"And what happens then?" the Doctor said, sitting down in a chair while he combed his hair. "What if he's taken over the building? You heard what happened to Rose. He could be just as brutal with you if he catches you, especially if he knows you're friends with Rose and John. I admire your courage but I don't want the three of you strapped to a table, screaming while he tortures you."

"Don't you have a way to disguise someone? Something in the TARDIS that acts like an invisibility cloak?" Amy said.

"Sorry, I'm not Harry Potter," the Doctor said. "Although…"

The Doctor trailed off and he stopped combing his hair while he thought.

"Yes?" River said when he didn't speak. "Although…what?"

"There may be a way to get you in there without finding Harry Potter," he said.

"And that way would be?" Rory said.

"I can make something called a perception filter. It won't make you invisible but it will make you unnoticeable. Provided you don't draw attention to yourself, you can walk in and search for information undetected. I need a few things in order to build them but if you're willing to do this, I'll make them for you."

"We won't be seen if you make these perception filters?" Rory asked.

"You'll be seen but people will dismiss you and go on with their business. Just don't draw any attention to yourself because then people will pay attention to you and that's when you'll be in danger of being captured. But if you keep your mouth shut and don't bump into anyone, you can go in and out and no one will be the wiser."

"What about it? Wanna give these perception filters a try?" Amy said to Rory and River.

"I'll do it. I love a bit of excitement," River said.

"If you're going in there, I'm coming as well," Rory said to Amy and River.

"You can take my psychic paper, just in case. And I'll lend you an old screwdriver to open locks. But be sure not to let anyone get hold of it, especially the Valeyard."

"I swear we'll take good care of it," Amy said.

"I can also give you a hidden camera with a microphone so we can watch your progress from the TARDIS and in case you need help, we'll know. So is this what you want to do?"

They nodded and the Doctor smiled.

"Well then, let's go tell the others because we'll need some money so we can do some parts shopping," he said, slapping his hands before getting up.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Rose asked Amy after they gathered together in the Doctor's room and told Rose and John their plan. "He won't show you any mercy if you get caught, believe me."

The Doctor and Jack went to get the supplies from a nearby shop while the others relaxed and chatted and listened to the TV. They hadn't told Jackie or Pete yet what was going on, preferring to wait till the Doctor returned and made the perception filters for them.

"We'll take that risk," Rory said. "We need to know what his plans are and if we get caught, the Valeyard won't know us so it'll be safer that way."

"We just have to convince "mother" to come back with us," John said.

"She will. I'm sure she'll wanna keep an eye on me now," Rose said. "Besides, I think dad is tired of her shopping sprees so he'll convince her to go even if she doesn't want to."

They heard a knock on the door and Rose walked over and opened the door. She smiled when she saw Tony. He was five years old and resembled a younger version of Pete with tousled brown hair and a sweet, round face. He waved at everyone and everyone waved back before he came inside the room.

"What you doing?" he said, walking over to Amy.

"We're just chatting, Tony," Amy said, patting the space beside her on the bed. "What're you doing?"

"I'm bored. I wanted to see all of you," Tony said, sitting down on the bed. "Mummy and daddy are sleeping now."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping too?" Amy teased him while she rubbed his back.

"Are you kidding? The little dynamo sleeps only when he drops dead of exhaustion," John said. "I thought I had a lot of energy until I had to babysit for him. He'll run ya ragged if you let him."

"Can we play?" Tony said, looking up at Amy.

"Um…well, I don't know what we could play since there aren't any toys here," Amy said.

"I got toys. Come on!" Tony said, hopping off the bed and taking her hand.

"Well, you lot, have fun. I'm going to go play with Tony," Amy said, getting up and headed for the door.

"Don't let him exhaust you," John said as she opened the door. "Next think you know you'll be on the bed beside Jackie."

Tony went out the door with Amy and she closed it behind them.

"Will we get Amy back in time for the plan?" Rory said.

"You may get her back but she'll probably be dead on her feet," John said. "Best if you pull her out of playtime after an hour or so."

There was another knock on the door and Rose went to open it. The Doctor and Jack stood outside the door carrying two large shopping bags filled with supplies.

"Sorry, we didn't order room service!" Rose said before slamming the door.

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled while everyone laughed.

She opened the door again and now Jack was in front of the Doctor.

"Speaking of room service," he purred, pointing to his crotch.

Rose started to slam the door again but Jack stopped it with his hand and pushed it open.

"Sorry but your master demands entry," Jack said to Rose as he and the Doctor stepped inside. "Hello, siblings. Daddy and I have returned from our shopping trip."

"Jack, don't ever, ever, ever call me Daddy ever again," the Doctor said as he closed the door.

"So, did you find the parts you needed?" Rory asked.

"I did and I have enough for three perception filters. Where's Amy?"

"Went off to play with Tony in mum's room," Rose said.

"Ah, little Tony, such a cutie," the Doctor said as he and Jack put the shopping bags on the table by the window. "Now, are you sure you wanna go through with this?" he asked Rory and River.

They both nodded and watched while the Doctor and Jack dumped the contents of the shopping bags onto the table. Jack picked up a few bags of crisps that they had purchased and threw them to their friends before grabbing a couple of two liters of Coke and some plastic cups. Everyone passed the crisps around and drank Coke, chatting and occasionally watching the Doctor while he used a soldiering iron to construct the perception filters. When he finally finished one after a few hours, he laid it on the edge of the table while he started on the next one. Rory picked it up and examined it.

"This key is s'posed to protect us?" he asked the Doctor.

"Well, it's more than a key now but yes, that will be your protection inside Torchwood," the Doctor said.

The door opened and Amy breathed a sigh of relief as she came back inside the room.

"Jackie finally made me leave. We were getting a bit too noisy for her liking," Amy said, shutting the door. "So, you're back then?" she said to the Doctor.

"I am and I have one of the perception filters finished. Working on the second one now," the Doctor said.

Rory handed her the finished perception filter and she frowned while she studied it closely.

"This key is s'posed to protect us?" she asked the Doctor.

Jack sniggered when the Doctor let out a sigh and stopped working.

"Here, sit on the bed," he said, taking the perception filter from him. "I'll demonstrate how this works. Everyone relax and keep on chatting."

They watched while he opened the door and stepped outside with the perception filter. They waited and waited for him to come back in but the door hung open, letting a cool night breeze into the stuffy room. They waited for about five minutes before Amy looked at the others.

"Okay, where'd he go, back to the TAR…"

"BOO!"

Amy screamed when the Doctor suddenly seemed to materialize directly in front of her. He and Jack giggled when she gasped and put her hand over her heart.

"Where the hell d'you come from?" she asked.

"I was here in front of you. I've been standing in front of you for about three minutes now," the Doctor said.

"You were? I didn't see ya," Amy said.

"Yes, you did but your mind and the mind of everyone in here dismissed me because this device shifts your perception so you think you weren't seeing me even though you were. It worked until I drew attention to myself and then you were able to focus in on me. Now…do you see how it works, Pond?" he said as he took off the perception filter.

"So as long as we don't jump out and yell "Boo" to the Valeyard, he won't see us?" Rory said.

"Yes. Well, that's the theory. People with more advanced minds and Time Lords aren't fooled by this but this Valeyard doesn't seem to be Time Lord so hopefully it'll fool him."

"And even if CCTV picks us up, no one will do anything about it?" River said.

"Correct. As long as you keep quiet and keep your head down, anyone who sees you won't give you a second look. At the very least, they'll think they've seen a ghost but even then they'll dismiss it. This'll keep you safe if you keep to the background. And now that I've made my point, back to work."

He put the perception filter back on the table and went back to work while everyone else chatted and ate their snack foods.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

"For the last time, no!"

The next morning, the Doctor and the others prepared to leave to go to London. Rose went to wake up her parents and brother and convince them to come with them. But soon she returned, telling the Doctor that her mother would only go if she could take her new things with her. The Doctor hadn't been inside Jackie's room yet but he finally saw the pot that John described to him. It was about two feet high and two feet wide and was decorated with geometric designs and black lizards. For the last twenty minutes, he'd been arguing with Jackie over the pot. She wanted to take it with them and he'd been trying to tell her that there were more important things than a pot.

"This cost 250 dollars," Jackie said, pointing to the pot.

"Then perhaps you'll think twice before spending 250 dollars when you're on the run from a madman. I'm not a delivery service. The TARDIS is by the bus station and I'm not carrying that thing on the bus. Leave it!" the Doctor said, pointing to it.

"Mum, just leave it! You can get another one in future. The Doctor's right. We in hiding, not on a shopping spree."

Jackie sighed but to the Doctor's relief, she relented. Grumbling about how unhelpful the Doctor was being, she gathered up what she could carry and everyone checked out of their rooms. They got back on the bus and went back to the bus station. Then they went across the street to the alley and the Doctor used a small remote control to sync the TARDIS up with the correct time and make it appear again. Once they were inside, the Doctor took the TARDIS into the vortex. He gave the perception filters to Rory, Amy and River and told them to wait while he left the room. He came back a few minutes later with a thick pair of glasses.

"These glasses have special lenses in them that act like a video camera," he said, pointing to them. "If you wear them, we'll be able to see what you see and there's a microphone built into the side so we can hear what's going on."

Amy took the glasses and made a face at the thick black frames that were reminiscent of glasses from the 1960's. She put them on and Rory chuckled when he saw how nerdy she looked in them. The Doctor handed River his psychic paper and an older version of his sonic screwdriver that resembled the one he used in his last life. Rory looked at Amy when she handed him the glasses.

"Here, you can be in charge of these. I don't like they way they feel on my face," she said to him.

Rory put them on and Amy burst out laughing when she saw how nerdy he looked.

"Sorry. But those glasses don't suit you," Amy said to her husband.

"Well, you didn't look like a supermodel either," Rory said. "So all I have to do is wear these and you can see what I'm doing?"

The Doctor flipped a switch on the console and pointed to a large roundel behind them. They turned and saw the Doctor's face in the roundel. Rory turned to the console and they saw the image of that in the roundel.

"See? We'll stand here and watch and if there's any trouble, we can act quickly and save you," the Doctor said, pointing to the roundel. Ideally, we won't need to do that but just in case, we'll be here."

River felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to see Jack holding out a blaster to her.

"This will make a hole in the wall, just in case you need a quick escape," he said to her.

River took it from him and thanked him. The Doctor looked at the gun and remembered it was the squareness gun Jack used when he first met him. Then he suddenly remembered that she had the same gun in the Library. He wondered if this was the same gun then. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he piloted the TARDIS towards London so the three of them could begin their mission.

After he landed near Canary Wharf, everyone wished Amy, Rory and River good luck and they put the perception filters on and slipped outside the door. The day was warm and cloudy with evidence that it had rained earlier. Overhead several zeppelins flew slowly across the sky. They stopped and looked across the street to the Torchwood building. They looked around but no one seemed to be taking notice of them. They hurried across the street and walked up to the front door. They looked inside the glass doors and saw a lone receptionist working at her desk. Her head was down and there was no one else in the lobby so River stepped up to the door and triggered the automatic opener. The door slid open and all three of them slipped inside. The receptionist looked up when she heard the door opening and Amy, Rory and River stood still, watching her confusion while she looked around to see if anyone had come inside.

"Bloody kids," she muttered as she went back to her work, "always running up and triggering the damn door for shits and giggles."

River breathed a sigh of relief and the three of them moved slowly across the room. They half expected the receptionist to look up and see them as they moved past her but she kept her head down and kept working and they relaxed as they went past her and headed towards the lift.

"Okay, we're in," Rory said aloud when they reached the lift.

"So far, so good," Jack said while he watched the roundel with the others.

"Yes, hopefully they can get in and out undetected," the Doctor said while he watched Rory go inside the lift.

"This is daft, what if they get caught?" Jackie said as she and Pete stood at the back.

"Then we go in and rescue them," the Doctor said, looking over his shoulder.

"I don't understand you lot. All of you are barking mad. You risk your lives unnecessarily for him every day," Jackie said, pointing to the Doctor.

"Um…if I remember correctly, you were in the TARDIS with us during the whole Crucible thing," Jack said, looking at her. "In fact, you were with us when Davros caught us and made us kneel in front of him. So what were you doing that day? Go shopping and take a wrong turn into outer space?"

John put his hand over his mouth, holding in his laughter, when Jackie glared at Jack.

"I went after her!" Jackie said, pointing at Rose.

"And I believe I told you not to," Rose said, looking at her. "I can handle myself, mum. I'm not a child anymore."

"You're my daughter and you always will be," Jackie said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I can't help it if I worry about you being around these people. Especially since he deliberately goes out and looks for trouble," she added, pointing to the Doctor.

"We're leaving her behind when we go back to the other universe, right?" Jack said to the Doctor.

"Yes," the Doctor said while John tried not to laugh.

John risked a look back. Jackie was glowering at the Doctor but he was too busy watching Rory walk down a hall to notice her anger. Wanting to stop the argument, Rose walked up beside him and watched the roundel.

"Not many people," Rose said while they watched.

"No, I expect the Valeyard has done something to most of the staff," the Doctor said.

"There!" Rose said, pointing to the screen when a young woman rounded the corner. "She's one of the hypnotized spies."

"Then I'm sure he has done something with everyone that wasn't his lackey to begin with," the Doctor said. "Which could prove to be an advantage if there aren't that many people manning the building now."

Rory stopped and they watched while the woman passed by without noticing him.

"Good job you had those perception filter things," Rose said.

"Yes. I just hope they work on the Valeyard if they run into him," the Doctor said.

Rory moved on until he reached an open office. They saw him turn and look at River and Amy.

"Check in here?" he said softly.

River and Amy nodded and he turned his head back around and went inside.

"Recognize the office?" the Doctor said to Rose.

"Um…not yet. It's not mine though," Rose said. "Oh wait…" she said when Rory turned his head to look at a poster hanging on the wall. "That hang in there kitten poster, I know who it belongs to. Her name is Rachel Meadows and she's a complete bitch."

"Is that significant? The bitch thing?" Jack said with amusement while John snickered.

"No. She's a bitch and I hate her, that's all," Rose said with a shrug. "You can tell them to ransack her office for all I care."

The Doctor and Jack shared a look and the Doctor walked over to the console.

"Rory?" he said, pushing a button and speaking into a microphone.

Rory froze.

"Yeah?" he said softly.

"Rose wants you to ransack the office. It belongs to Rachel Meadows, she's a bitch and Rose hates her."

Jack and John chortled when Rory didn't say anything and they could hear River and Amy giggling in the background. River then came into view.

"If Rose hates her that much, we'll make this place look like a tornado's gone through it," River said.

Amy came up beside her. She held up a pink stuffed kitten so the people in the TARDIS could see it and then dropped it.

"Consider the bitch's office ransacked, Rose," she said.

"See what I mean. They're not taking this seriously and they're gonna get killed," Jackie said to Pete while Jack, John and Rose laughed.

"We're just having a bit of fun, mum. No one knows they're in there," Rose said.

River looked at Rory.

"Would the bitch have anything to do with the Valeyard or is she just a common or garden bitch?" she said to Rose.

"Rose?" the Doctor said to her.

"Um...as much as I'd like to say she's the Valeyard's right hand woman, I think Rachel is just a run of the mill bitch and I doubt there's anything in there worth looking at."

"Gotcha," River said. "Well…the thought of staying here and ransacking the bitch's office is tempting but we must continue with our mission."

Jack, John and Rose laughed while they watched Rory turn and leave the office.

"Barking mad, the lot of ya," Jackie said, shaking her head while Rory walked out into the hallway.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

"Wow, this place is clean," Rory said as he and Amy and River moved slowly down one of the corridors. "At least we won't catch a cold in this place."

"Rose does not need to be working in this boring, sterile place," Amy said softly. "She needs to get out and have some excitement."

They froze when a door opened in front of them and the Valeyard stepped out. Amy and Rory shared a look as he shut and locked the door behind him. They let out a sigh of relief when he walked away without noticing them. They waited till he turned the corner before going to the door. River used the screwdriver to unlock it and they slowly opened it. River peeked inside and beckoned to the others when she saw it was an empty office. They went inside and River closed the door and locked it with the screwdriver. The window shades were drawn and Amy went over and opened them so they could have light to see by without turning on the overhead light. Rory followed Amy to the desk so the TARDIS team could see what was on it while River walked over to a metal filing cabinet and began searching through it.

"These look like inventories," Amy said, holding up a piece of paper that had items listen one after the other.

The Doctor looked at Rose while they studied the image.

"Look familiar?" he said to her.

"Some of it. Some of the items are things that Torchwood owns, alien weapons and tech," she said.

The Doctor walked over to the microphone and told Rory what Rose said.

"So he's making an inventory of everything they own so he knows what sort of weapons he has?" Rory said.

Rose walked over to microphone.

"I'm guessing that's what that is. I recognize a lot of things listed and they are things that Torchwood has," she said to Rory.

"So he might be planning to attack the Earth," Amy said.

"Or take the things with him if he can get ahold of the TARDIS," Jack said, looking over his shoulder.

"Why wasn't this stuff locked away somewhere?" Jackie said to Pete.

"It was, Jacks. Apparently, he found a way to get to it," Pete said.

"If he's as clever as the original Valeyard, locks will mean nothing to him," the Doctor said, letting go of the microphone button while Amy and Rory continued to search. "It seems like he has control of the entire place now if he can go into restricted areas and find out what Torchwood owns."

"Dad and I told them they had to move that stuff outta there and put it in a more secure place but they never believed that someone could just walk in and take over the place," Rose said, shaking her head. "I don't know what all they own but some of that stuff could be used to subjugate at least London and probably the entire world. We badgered them to do something to make that stuff more inaccessible but the ones in charge thought it was too much trouble."

"That's how it usually works," the Doctor said. "The ones in charge think they know everything and never plan for things like this. I just hope the Valeyard plans to take the TARDIS first before he decides to use anything against the Earth."

"Rory, look at this," Amy said, pointing to a piece of paper in her hand.

Rory looked at it and the Doctor and everyone else studied it. It was a handwritten note and they silently read through it.

"Valtrex. Oh no," the Doctor said with sinking shoulders.

"What's that?" Rose said.

"It's a chemical that is put in a water supply and can poison anyone who drinks it," John said. "Biological warfare and it's more powerful than anything on Earth. It kills almost instantly."

"Says here he's thinking about putting it in London's water supply and wiping out the city as a test," Amy said.

"Test. As in testing it to see how effective it is before using it on the Earth?" Jack said.

"I'd bet my life on it," the Doctor said.

"Why hasn't he used it yet if he has this stuff?" Rory said to Amy.

The Doctor flipped the microphone switch.

"My guess is he isn't powerful enough yet. If he does it now, the rest of the world will descend on him and he'd have to leg it before they blew him to bits. My guess is he's looking through the inventory Torchwood has and writing down possible ideas. He's just brainstorming, at least I hope that's all he's doing."

"Is there any way you can stop this nutter?" Jackie said to the Doctor.

"We're trying to find a way, Jackie, that's why we have them doing reconnaissance. So we can find out what he's planning."

"Rory, Amy," River said in the background. "I found a file on Rose in here."

"Oh really?" Rose said as she walked back to the railing.

River brought the file over to the desk and Rory stared at it while River opened it. The Doctor came up beside Rose and sped read the handwritten notes in the file.

"Go ahead and look through that, I'll see what else I can find," River said to Rory before she walked back to the filing cabinet.

"Seems to be his notes on what he did to you," the Doctor said, trying to fight the anger rising within him.

Jackie and Pete walked up beside John. Jackie's mouth dropped open when she read some of the handwriting.

"He tortured you?" Jackie said to Rose.

Rose winced and nodded.

"And why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because I didn't want you to worry, mum. I'm fine. He didn't do any damage to me," Rose said.

"And if they'd never found this file, you wouldn't have told me he did that to you?"

"Probably not," Rose said. "I'm fine, honestly. You don't need to worry about me."

"You're gonna end up dead one day, Rose Tyler, mark my words," Jackie said.

The Doctor heard Rose mutter, "Yeah, well if I do, I'll just change my body then," under her breath. He glanced at Jackie but she hadn't heard her say that. Instead she was fuming silently while she watched the monitor. The Doctor put his hand on Rose's back and she smiled at him and patted his other hand while they watched.

"Hey…"

Rory turned his head and looked at River. She had her finger in the files, keeping her place, while she looked at Rory.

"John, is there another John Smith that works here?" she said.

Everyone looked at John.

"Um…not to my knowledge," John said.

The Doctor walked over to the microphone.

"He says no," the Doctor said.

"You have a file then, John," River said, pulling a folder out of the filing cabinet.

"I do?" John said.

"Maybe it's stuff he learned from my mind probe," Rose said. "He found out John was part Time Lord and started a separate file on him so he could learn more about him."

River brought the file over to the desk and Rory kept his eyes on it while they opened it up. The first page was a fact file listing John's vital stats. Then they went to the next page and it was more handwritten notes. The Doctor focused in on it and sped read the contents. He came to a section near the end of the page and he felt his anger rising within him when he read what the Valeyard had wrote.

"Huh?" Rose said, pointing to the same section. "It says here that the Valeyard interrogated John. How can that be if…"

"He was lying to us," the Doctor said as he and Jack turned on John. "What else have you been keeping secret from us, John? Because I have a feeling the Valeyard did more than interrogate you, didn't he?"

"John? When did this happen?" Rose said. "When did he take and interrogate you?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes when he saw the sneer on John's face. He suddenly had a disturbing little theory.

"John, just how did the Valeyard infiltrate Torchwood in the first place?" the Doctor said to him.

John said nothing. He took a step back and suddenly he seized Rose.

"Say goodbye to your little girlfriend!" he sneered as he shoved his hand into his jean pocket.

The Doctor cursed loudly and everyone else yelled in alarm when John pushed a button on a remote hidden in his pocket and he and Rose vanished in a bright flash of light.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

Jackie gasped when the Doctor and Jack rounded on her and Pete, their eyes ablaze with unspoken rage.

"So…are you a part of this as well?" the Doctor snarled at Jackie.

"Part of what?" Jackie said, trying not to show her fear at the rage on the Doctor's face.

"This!" the Doctor said, pointing to the spot where Rose had been. "You've been with John. Are you working for the Valeyard as well?"

"No!" Jackie said. "We didn't know he was going to do that!"

"We're not working for the Valeyard, Doctor. I give you my word," Pete said.

The Doctor considered that for a moment and then rushed to the microphone. River, Rory and Amy were still looking at John's file.

"You three," he said, speaking into the microphone, "get out of there now. John was working for the Valeyard and he just betrayed us and kidnapped Rose. I'm betting he's telling his boss about your whereabouts so get out of there NOW!"

"What? John was working for the Valeyard?" Rory said.

"Never mind, Rory, we'll recover from the shock later. You heard the Doctor, move!" River said, pointing to the door.

The three of them turned and hurried for the door. River unlocked it with the screwdriver and peeked outside before she beckoned to the others to follow her. But a moment after they left the office, a klaxon sounded throughout the building and River let out a curse as the three of them picked up speed.

"Permission to ring the clone's scrawny neck when we see him?" Jack growled as he and the Doctor watched their flight from the building.

"You can ring it after I get done with him," the Doctor said, fuming.

The three of them nearly got to the lift before three people rounded the corner up ahead of them. Pete cursed when the two men and woman pointed at them and yelled out that they found them. River let out a yell of rage and began to run straight towards them. Jack laughed when she barreled into the stunned people and decked the man in front while Amy and Rory ran to help. River wrestled the man to the ground while Rory took the other man and Amy took on the woman. The Doctor cursed when the images became blurry and confusing while Rory wrestled with the man he had targeted. He heard a gun shot and Rory looked around at River. River managed to get hold of the first man's gun and had pointed it towards the ceiling and fired while giving all three people a look of warning.

"I suggest you run before the next bullet goes into your skulls," she snarled at their attackers as she aimed the gun at the man.

The attackers backed off, scrambling to their feet and running away while River told Amy and Rory to head for the lift. They reached the lift and River fired into the air over two more pursuers heads, causing them to dive for cover. The lift door opened and all of them ran inside, Rory cursing while he jabbed his finger repeatedly at the ground floor button.

"Come on, close, damn it!" he yelled at the slow moving lift door.

"Doctor, any idea where John took Rose?" Amy said, stepping in front of Rory.

The Doctor pushed the microphone button.

"No. Don't worry about that now, just get out of there and back to the TARDIS and we'll find a way to get to her," he said.

Everyone in the lift let out a gasp when the lift suddenly jerked to a stop and they were trapped between floors. River tried the screwdriver on the buttons and cursed when nothing happened. Rory yelled and the Doctor and Pete cursed when they could see a grey mist filtering down from a vent overhead.

"Knockout gas," Pete said. "It's designed to stop intruders and thieves from leaving the building."

Pete winced when Rory collapsed to the floor and all they could see from his perspective was grey smoke filling the lift.

"Now what?" Pete said to the Doctor when they heard the lift going back up.

"Now, we wait because I'm sure either John or the Valeyard will be contacting us soon," the Doctor said.

"Will they be alright?" Jackie said.

"I'm sure they will be for the moment," the Doctor said. "If John hasn't told the Valeyard about me, he will and I'm sure they'll want me to surrender."

"If you go, I'm coming with you," Jack said.

"I'm betting you won't have a choice," the Doctor said. "I'm sure John will tell them about your immortality as well."

"And he'll want the TARDIS as well?" Pete said.

"Yes, that's a given," the Doctor said while they watched the mist being sucked back into the vent. "I have a feeling Rose's escape was orchestrated because they were betting that she'd try the dimension cannon and try to find me. Why wait for a coral to grow when you can have a fully grown TARDIS at your disposal."

They watched while a couple of men wearing gas masks came inside the lift, grabbed Rory by the arms and lifted him up. They watched while Rory was dragged down the hall back to the Valeyard's office. The Doctor bristled when the door was opened and the Valeyard was sitting at his desk with John standing beside him.

"Where's Rose?" Jackie said.

"Probably in one of the detention rooms," Pete said. "At least I hope she is."

"No, they won't kill her yet," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "They need her as a bargaining chip to get me or Jack or both of us to come to them."

"The lenses in those glasses are a camera," John said to the Valeyard while he pointed at Rory. "The Doctor can see and hear everything."

The Doctor let out an angry sigh and walked over to the microphone.

"I s'pose you want me to surrender then," he said, pushing the button.

"That's exactly what I want you to do. You and the rest of your friends," the Valeyard said. "Come quietly and no one will be harmed."

"What about Rose? Where is she?" the Doctor said.

"She's in one of the cells but she's fine…for the moment," the Valeyard said. "Surrender to me and she'll stay that way."

"Where do you want us to surrender?" the Doctor said.

"Oh, just come in the front door and my partner will be waiting for you," the Valeyard said, gesturing to John.

"Oh good, I get to deck him then," Jack said.

"You do, Harkness, and I'll make sure you die a hundred painful deaths over and over," John snarled at him. "You'll do everything we say or Rose and these three suffer and then you get your turn. Got it?"

"Yeah," Jack said angrily, boiling with anger when he saw the sneer on John's face.

"We'll come on one condition," the Doctor said.

John snorted.

"See, told ya he'd try to take control of the situation," he said to the Valeyard.

"I'm not taking control of anything. I'm asking the Jackie and Pete be spared and left here. They're not a part of this and they have a child," the Doctor said.

John looked at the Valeyard for confirmation. The Valeyard nodded.

"Fine. As long as we have you and Harkness, that's all that matters," he said dismissively.

"Doctor, let me come with you," Pete said as the Doctor took his finger off the microphone button.

"No. You and Jackie find a hotel and take Tony away from here," the Doctor said. "If he takes the TARDIS, I don't want you three inside it. You have a child to think of. We'll be alright, trust us."

Pete nodded reluctantly and the Doctor pushed the microphone button and told the Valeyard that he and Jack were coming to Canary Wharf's lobby. After the Valeyard cut off communication and ordered River, Amy and Rory to be taken to a cell, the Doctor and Jack prepared to leave. While Pete went to fetch Tony from the TARDIS's playroom, Jackie walked up to the Doctor and surprised him by giving him a hug.

"Despite your reckless behavior, I am fond of you and I want you and Jack to come back in one piece along with Rose and everyone else. D'ya hear me?"

"Crystal clear, Jackie," the Doctor said.

Jackie gave Jack a hug and waited for Pete to come back. When Pete and Tony were ready, everyone exited the TARDIS and the Doctor hid it again before they parted ways and he and Jack headed towards Canary Wharf.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

On the way to Canary Wharf, the Doctor and Jack tried to strategize and come up with a quick plan to save themselves and everyone else.

"We need to find out why John is doing this," the Doctor said. "Perhaps we can talk some sense into him."

"And if we can't?" Jack said.

The Doctor's face darkened.

"Then he may have to be dealt with, one way or another," he said.

When they got to the front door, they noticed the receptionist was gone and now John was leaning casually up against the front of her desk, smirking when he saw them.

"Permission to wipe the haughty little smirk off his face?" Jack muttered to the Doctor.

"Not yet. Save that for later," the Doctor said before both of them went inside.

"Ah, good. You came in here without guns blazing. That was good of you," John said.

"Where's Rose? Where's River, Amy and Rory?" Jack snarled at him.

"Safe, safe, safe and safe…that's all you need to know for now," John said.

"Why are you doing this?" the Doctor said. "What do you have to gain from working with the Valeyard?"

"A second chance," John said.

"What does that mean?" Jack said.

"First, we go upstairs. Then we talk. Follow me," John said.

Jack was about to pounce on him and beat him to a pulp when two armed guards stepped out from behind the wall that was behind the desk and pointed their AK-47s at them. John looked over his shoulder at the Doctor and Jack.

"You didn't think I was daft enough to come down here without armed guards, did ya?" he said gleefully. "Come."

The Doctor and Jack glowered at the clone while he led them past the guards. The guards fell in behind them and kept their guns aimed at the prisoners while they walked to the lift.

"I want to see the others. I wanna make sure they're alright," the Doctor said to John while they walked.

"You'll see them soon enough. For now, you keep quiet and do what we want," John said airily. "Cooperate and you'll see your little girlfriend soon."

They got into the lift and John turned to face the Doctor and Jack.

"Why are you doing this?" Jack said as the lift went up. "The Doctor gave you a chance at a new life."

"Yes. I chose to be merciful to you when I could have let you die on the Crucible," the Doctor growled.

The clone chuckled but said nothing to them. The lift stopped and the guards urged them out. John instructed the guards to lead them to the interrogation room while he went to get something. The Doctor and Jack allowed themselves to be led by the guards to a small bare room that had only a long wooden table and several high back chairs in it. The guards made them sit down on one side of the table and then guarded the door while they waited. They kept on waiting but nothing happened.

"Maybe he intends to bore us to death," Jack said after fifteen minutes of inactivity.

The Doctor looked around but couldn't see any CCTV cameras. He had no doubts they were being monitored though. Jack gave him an odd look when he began making faces to no one in particular.

"What are you doing?" Jack said after the Doctor pulled a fish face.

"Amusing our captors," the Doctor said before sucking in his cheeks and crossing his eyes. "What else are we going to do to pass the time?"

Jack watched him stick his tongue out and waggle it around before he turned casually in his seat to the two guards.

"So…you two ever had a threesome?" he said to them while the Doctor mooed up at the wall.

The guards didn't respond to him and Jack shrugged. He turned back around and watched while the Doctor stuck his fingers in his mouth and pulled it wide open.

"Come on! The Doctor is bored, surely you can see that!" Jack yelled to the walls.

They stopped goofing around when John entered the room. The Doctor rose when he jerked Rose inside the room. She had a black eye and her hands were bound behind her back.

"Sit down!" John growled at the Doctor as he forced Rose over to a seat across from him.

The Doctor and Jack glowered at John while he put his hands on Rose's shoulders and roughly forced her down into the chair. He instructed the guards to go outside and guard the door and listen for help if he needed it. Once the guards left the room and shut the door, John smirked at the Doctor and Jack.

"I decided to come in because I could see you two were bored and making fools of yourselves," he said to them.

"Oh you did see that," the Doctor said. "Good, I was afraid I was making fish faces for no one. Always nice to have an audience, you know."

"Yes, very droll. Now…let's get down to business. This is now the time to ask me questions so fire away."

"Why are you doing this?" the Doctor said. "What do you mean by second chances?"

"Ah. Well, second chances means that once I found out that my little girlfriend here had multiple lives, I made a deal with the Valeyard to have her kidnapped so I could take them. Despite what I said earlier, I really don't want to live just one life and why should I? A genius such as myself shouldn't be cheated out of one life when an ape gets to live on and on. See…these lives that Rose has rightfully belong to me. I'm the true Time Lord, not her. So when I learned about the Valeyard, I decided to make a deal with him. I would help him take over this daft universe if he would help me get more lives. Once he agreed to help me, I began to help him."

"And you think he's gonna keep his end of the bargain?" the Doctor said. "Your human side must be addling your brain, John. You know as well as I do that he can't be trusted. You're a fool."

"Well…perhaps but you see, I'm not quite as nice as you imagine," John said. "You see, you were spot on about me being dangerous. But you didn't realize just how dangerous I was. You see, I realized some time ago that I'm actually the Valeyard of your universe and I figured that two Valeyards were better than one."

"But I thought you loved me, John," Rose said.

"Well…I did but then I realized that you didn't love me because you love him," he said, pointing to the Doctor. "And no matter what I did and how hard I tried, you weren't gonna stop loving him so I decided that perhaps it was in my best interest to get rid of you and find someone else that wouldn't be unfaithful to me."

"I was being faithful to you," Rose protested.

John let out a barking laugh and leaned down to her.

"You mean this daft little deal you made with your lover where he'd wait in the wings until I snuffed it? You honestly think with him waiting for you that you'd want me? Especially since you didn't want me in the first place. I'm not an idiot, Rose, despite being half ape. I can see the writing on the wall. Not to mention…I can see down your shirt and…lookie what we have here…"

He reached in and pulled out the leaf pendant.

"The Doctor gave you this, I take it?" he said.

"Yes, he did," Rose said.

"Do you know what this leaf symbolizes?" John said, holding it up to her face.

"Yes, the Doctor told me what the leaf means."

The Doctor bristled when John leaned into Rose's face with a menacing look.

"And what does it mean, Rose?" he said in a low tone of voice.

Rose looked at him without any fear.

"It's something lovers gave to each other because the leaf was hard to get for most people," she said calmly.

"You knew this and yet, you're still wearing it, even though supposedly you're my girlfriend," John growled. "You do realize that I know what this means and it would have been a tad awkward dating a woman who was wearing some other bloke's love trinket? Especially when said bloke was your lover in the first place? Do you think me stupid, Rose?" he said, his voice rising in pitch until he was yelling her name.

Before Rose could answer him, John reared back and backhanded her as hard as he could.

"SIT THE FUCK DOWN NOW!" he screamed at the Doctor and Jack when they leapt up. "SIT DOWN OR I'LL TELL THE GUARDS TO SHOOT HER UNTIL SHE FINALLY DIES!"

"If you kill her, you won't be able to take her lives and then when were you be?" Jack taunted.

"If she dies, Jack," John said in a snotty voice. "I'll take the Doctor's remaining lives and siphon off your immortality on top of it. NOW SIT DOWN!"

John smiled when the Doctor and Jack sank into their seats and glared at him.

"There," he said happily. "See, we can get along if we really want to. So…any other questions then?"

"What are you going to do with us?" Jack said.

"Well, I might put the three of you in suspended animation. Keep you immobile until I siphon off your lives and immortality. As for the others…um…probably kill them since there really isn't a use for them. Hmmm…will killing River before she dies cause a paradox? Hmmm. Well, guess we'll find out if it does, huh? Sorry if she's another girlfriend of yours," he said to the Doctor. "But hey, I might leave the three of you alive after taking what I need and you can spend the rest of your lives working in the gold mines on Galtuna Minor. Then you can see Rose eeeeevery single daaaay! So…any other questions?"

"No, I think you answered all of them," the Doctor said.

"Goody. Well, I'm gonna go have some tea and dream about having multiple lives and immortality and you three can chill out in some room until the guards come to put you on ice."

He was about to call for the guards when the Doctor held up his hand.

"Yeeees?" John said.

"I think you're making a mistake here, John," the Doctor said. "I doubt the Valeyard will allow you to live, especially if you have multiple lives and immortality. It isn't too late to turn back. Help us. Do the right thing."

"Um…nah, too boring. I like being bad. Besides, you labeled me a genocidal maniac, remember? Might as well live up to the title. So…if you don't have any more cliché turn back to the good side speeches, I'll call for the guards."

Jack stared at the Doctor but the Doctor remained silent. John shrugged and called for the guards to come and get them. He waited till the guards took the three of them away before breathing a sigh of relief and leaving the room.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

"Pete, no, you can't do this," Jackie said when she, Pete and Tony emerged from the taxi in front of their mansion.

"Jacks, they need me," Pete said. "I know you don't like it but I'm just as much an ally of the Doctor as the others are and they need someone who hasn't been captured to help them escape. Take Tony and get inside the house and stay there. I'm going to get a couple of things and then I'm going back to Canary Wharf."

"Blimey, sometimes I wish I stayed at the Powell Estate. Life was so much simpler then," Jackie said as she took Tony towards the house.

"Wonderful," Rory said, kicking the locked door. "Love it when people betray us."

He, Amy and River had been put in a bare room and the door had been locked after they were searched and everything that could be used for escape was taken from them. They were now waiting for something to happen and Rory was getting antsy.

"If John comes in here, I saw we jump on him and break his neck," he said when he turned away from the door.

"And what will that accomplish?" River said as she sat on the floor.

"Well, it'll make me feel better for starters," Rory said, slumping down on the floor beside her. "Hearing the snap of his neck would make me feel very good."

"And the moment we did that, we'd be killed," Amy said.

"We're gonna die anyway, might as well take John out in the process," Rory said. "I'm so glad the Doctor wouldn't do anything so underhanded."

"The Doctor is more than capable of being underhanded," River said. "The difference is he isn't underhanded to us."

"Well…the Doctor does lie, he keeps saying that," Amy said.

"Yes. But he wouldn't do something like this to us…would he?" Rory said. "I mean, he did say that Valeyard was a possible future for him."

"Possible," River said. "I doubt if it'll be his future because the Doctor would fight against it. And no, I don't think the Doctor would ever betray us like this. Not unless he was pretending to be evil in order to accomplish a goal."

"He's not evil," Amy said. "I know him. He's nothing like John. He'll do everything in his power to save us."

"I hope your right," Rory said. "Because I'm betting we'll be in a world of pain if the Doctor doesn't come up with a way for us to escape."

Meanwhile, the Doctor, Jack and Rose had been taken to another bare room. After being searched and their weapons seized, they were left alone in a locked room. The guards had cut the bonds around Rose's wrists and she rubbed them, trying to get the feeling back in them while they sat on the floor.

"So…we're going to be drained of our lives and immortality and just thrown onto the rubbish heap?" Jack said. "If the man can even drain us."

"There is a way, at least where the lives are concerned," the Doctor said. "The Master tried it with me once before during my eight life. He nearly succeeded too."

"The Master?" Jack said. "I thought he could regenerate. Why would he need your lives?"

"Because the Master used up his original 13 lives long ago. Technically, he shouldn't have lived on but he or others always found a way to bring him back. When he tried to siphon off my lives he had just been executed by the Daleks and was inhabiting a human body. He needed my lives in order to live on."

"Wow. I keep regretting the fact that I didn't meet you earlier. You've led an interesting life," Jack said.

"So he really can do it? He can take our regenerations?" Rose said.

"Well, he can if he can get to the Eye of Harmony in the TARDIS. Other than that, he'd have to have some sort of fancy schmancy doodah from Torchwood and knowing Torchwood, they'd have it," the Doctor said.

"But you don't know if he could do the same with my immortality?" Jack said.

"No, but if there's a way, they'll find it. I think you and me are an afterthought. Rose is the real prize, especially if she's on her first life."

"Lovely. My boyfriend's a complete nutter psycho," Rose said, shaking her head.

"I don't think I'm that bad…oh wait, you mean the other nutter psycho."

Rose raised her head in surprise when the Doctor said that and couldn't help but smile when she saw his cheeky grin.

"You're a nice nutter psycho, you're not trying to drain my lives and throw me in a gold mine," she said.

"What about me? Am I a nice nutter psycho?" Jack said.

"No, you're daft and randy and you drool a lot."

"I do not!" Jack said while Rose giggled. "Drool, I mean. I am daft and randy. But don't worry, Blondie. If John even puts a finger on you, I'll rip it off his body."

"What if he pumps this room full of gas and knocks us out," the Doctor said.

"Um…then ripping his fingers off his body will be a bit harder," Jack said.

"You're right though," Rose said to the Doctor. "He'll gas this room before he comes in. He won't let us fight back. He'll put us in suspended animation and take our lives that way."

"You don't know that," the Doctor said. "Don't give up hope yet. John may be many things but he's not invincible or infallible. He's an egomaniac and most egomaniacs tend to be very self confident and that leads to mistakes. Just keep calm and keep your wits about you, both of you. You've traveled with me enough to know how to take advantage of a situation and when to recognize that advantage. Just keep it together, yeah?"

"So…I guess after all this, Rose is now yours free and clear?" Jack said to the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at Rose and gave her a warm smile as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"I gave John a chance and so did Rose but I s'pose John's jealousy would have gotten in the way of any relationship they might have had."

"You know, I could take River off your hands," Jack said. "I'll seduce her and lure her away and then you wouldn't have to worry about her."

"You'd willingly put up with River?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, why? Is she a holy terror hellion or something?"

"Can be. But if you want to sacrifice your sanity so I can have Rose to myself, be my guest."

"Well gee, now that you put it that way," Jack said.

He frowned when the Doctor kept pointing to the wall behind him. Jack looked behind him and then looked at the Doctor in confusion.

"What?" he said to the Doctor.

"Turn for a moment so I can have some privacy, yeah?" the Doctor said.

Realization spread over Jack's face and he quickly turned to the wall. The Doctor smiled lovingly at Rose and was about to kiss her when suddenly Jack began to sing "La, la, la" loudly.

"You don't have to do that, Jack," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes while Rose giggled.

Jack fell silent and stared at the wall. Rose smiled when the Doctor leaned into her ear and whispered.

"I have something for you," he whispered. "Something that Gallifreyan couples used to do. I will explain more after we escape since I'm sure John and the Valeyard are watching us. But if you're going to be my live's mate, I want to seal the union in a special Gallifreyan way. So keep that in mind. Just look forward to my surprise and don't give up. Okay?"

"Yes," Rose said softly as the Doctor pulled his lips away from her ear.

The Doctor grinned at that and he leaned in for a passionate kiss. They snogged for a few minutes and the Doctor gently kissed her forehead.

"Okay, Harkness, you can turn around now. Mushiness is over."

"Damn, I was wanting to see the mushy," Jack said, turning back around. "So, judging from the mmm's and kissing sounds, you two are definitely a couple now?"

"Most definitely," the Doctor said, taking Rose's hand and giving it a squeeze.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

"Carry on, my wayward son. There'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Doncha cry no mooore!"

"Jack, what are you doing?" the Doctor said.

"Being bored and entertaining myself," Jack said. "I figure I'll warble a few tunes while we wait for Crazy Boy to come back in here and do whatever he's going to do. Now where was I? Oh yes, I was at the guitar part…na na nana nanananana…"

"Why did I regenerate with perfect hearing? Why?" the Doctor said, laying back on the floor while Rose giggled. "Why can't I go deaf voluntarily? It oughta be something Time Lords can do."

"I could put my fingers in my ears and puncture your eardrums," Rose said as she scooted up beside his head.

"I said voluntarily meaning I would like to hear sometimes. I can't do that if you puncture my eardrums," he said.

"Do you think we can help John?" Rose said to him.

"Help him in what way?" the Doctor said.

"Help him not be an asshole anymore," Jack said.

"I have a feeling that would take a couple of centuries and I'm not sure I'm up to the task," the Doctor said. "Better to just lock him away and be done with it."

"But why is he behaving like this?" Rose said to the Doctor. "If he's you, he should act like you and you're not evil. You'd never do something like this to us so why is he a complete nutter?"

The Doctor fell silent while he contemplated that. Meanwhile, Jack was amusing himself by singing Hotel California softly. Rose giggled when the Doctor started humming along with him while he thought.

"I have an inkling of a theory," the Doctor finally said.

"And that theory is…" Jack said.

"Derangement," the Doctor said.

"It took you twenty minutes of deep contemplation to figure out he's nuts? Doc, you're getting slow in your old age," Jack said while Rose giggled.

"It's Doc...tor, I keep telling you that, and I have more to my theory if you'd let me finish."

"Carry on," Jack said.

"He's suffering from derangement which I think has been brought on by his mixed genes," the Doctor said, staring up at the ceiling while he spoke. "Just as Donna was affected by the metacrisis, he has as well except his derangement isn't life threatening."

"Depends on whose life is being threatened," Rose said.

"True. But what I mean is his insanity won't make his mind burn up."

"So being half human has driven the poor schlub insane?" Jack said.

"It's a theory," the Doctor said. "Perhaps circumstances drove him insane but I really can't see him going insane just because he was stuck on an alternate world with Rose."

"Then again, Rose can drive people insane at times," Jack said.

Rose laughed when the Doctor leaned his head up and gave him an odd look.

"Just trying to keep the mood light," Jack said with a shrug.

The Doctor quickly sat up when the door opened and Amy, Rory and River were ushered into the room by two guards. Jack glanced at the Doctor and Rose and leapt to his feet while the guards closed the door.

"Howdy," he said to River as he put his arm around her.

River stared at the arm around her shoulder and then looked at Jack.

"You really don't have any inhibitions, do you?" she said. "People's personal space means nothing to you at all. I'm finding that out with each passing moment."

"I've become quite fond of you, River," Jack said, giving her most charming smile. "River is such a lovely name. It speaks to me of water winding silently through a sunlit forest while birds sing overhead."

The Doctor tried not to laugh at the surprise on River's face. Then River gave Jack a wry grin.

"Jack is such a lovely name as well. It speaks to me of a braying jackass, someone who thinks he's all that when he's actually not any sort of "that" at all. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to sit down."

Rose laughed when she took Jack's arm off her shoulder and went to sit down beside Rose. Amy and Rory were sitting by the door and they watched Jack's shocked expression and then they looked at each other when Jack walked over and sit down beside River.

"I love a woman with wit and sophistication," he said to River while Rose tried hard not to laugh. "It's rare when you find someone who can match wits with me."

"I find that an insult, considering you're a half wit," River said.

"Wow, this is quite entertaining," Amy said. "Makes up for being captured just to watch all this."

"Why are you suddenly going all Casanova on me anyway?" River said to Jack.

"Because I think you can do better than the Doctor."

River cocked her eyebrow while Rose gave the Doctor a gleeful look.

"I can do better than the Doctor?" River said, trying to hide her amusement.

"Yeah. Why date a Time Lord who has limited lives when you can hook your wagon to someone who is immortal," Jack said. "I have better hair; better teeth and I can fight anyone who dares challenge me."

"You also have an ego the size of Jupiter and a libido to match and the Doctor doesn't try to woo me with shoddy poetry about the beauty of my name," River said.

"River flowing through the glade," the Doctor said, lying back down on the floor. "ants are climbing a grass blade. Aren't you glad you got it made? Damn, I want some marmalade."

River slowly turned her head and gave the Doctor an odd look while everyone else howled with laughter.

"Okay, I take it back. Your poetry is far better than his," River said as Jack sniggered. "But I'm sorry; I'm not interested in you."

"Ah come on, try me," Jack said. "You won't be disappointed."

River stared at him for a moment and then turned her attention to Rose.

"You've known him longer than I have. What is your opinion of him?" River said to her.

"Well, he is a bit egotistical at times but he's a sweet man," Rose said.

River looked at Jack who was waggling his eyebrows at her. He gave her a wink and River gave him a dubious look. The Doctor was watching all this with amusement. He got up and walked over to Jack and put his lips to his ear as he cupped his hands over it so River couldn't hear.

"Answer yes or no and only yes or no. Is this your attempt to get River to like you so I can have Rose free and clear?"

"Yes," Jack said.

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to know," the Doctor said, walking back to his spot.

"What's going on?" River said, looking from one to the other.

"What's going on is that I care for you deeply and I'd like for that caring to become love," Jack said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I think we're perfect for each other and I want to be in a relationship with you full time. How 'bout it?"

River looked at Amy. Amy shrugged and grinned.

"Take a chance, River. It might be an interesting relationship," Amy said.

"I have a feeling though you'd be bonking him 24/7," Rory said. "So keep that in mind."

"Good point. Will you be bonking me 24/7?" River said to Jack.

"No, more like 23/7 because I have to eat and pee sometime," Jack said.

Rose and Amy giggled when Jack gave River a big, cheesy grin. River said nothing for a moment and then let out a little chuckle.

"Well…nice to know it won't be continuous sex then," she said with a smile.

"Nah, gotta do my bodily functions and then it's back to bed with ya," Jack said, leaning back against the wall.

The Doctor smiled when he heard River chuckle at that and scoot up to the spot beside him. Jack looked at her as she settled her back against it and then gave the Doctor a pointed look. The Doctor kept his face passive since River was watching but he did wonder if River and Jack could be right together. He knew it would make things between him and Rose much easier. He looked back up at the ceiling while Jack made small talk with River and Amy and Rory talked softly.

Then the door opened and the guards entered the room. The Doctor rolled his eyes when they commanded him and Rose to get up and follow them. Rose sighed and got to her feet. She waited for the Doctor to stand up and when he was at her side they walked out of the room while everyone else watched silently.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

The Doctor and Rose followed the guards as they led them down a corridor.

"So…you think Jack would be a good match for River?" Rose said softly to the Doctor.

"Well…they both love guns, they both love shooting people and they both like to shag, so yes…I think they'd make a great couple," the Doctor said. "And who knows, maybe they do become a couple. She's going backwards in my timeline so maybe at some point she switches to him for awhile and then switches back to me."

The Doctor noticed an odd look on Rose's face and she turned her head to look behind her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Thought I felt something…like a tapping on my shoulder but there's no one behind us," she said. "Ah well, must have been my imagination."

"Maybe John ran out of a room, tapped you on the shoulder and then ran back just so he can be an arse," the Doctor said. "I wouldn't put it past…"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor jerked his head back around when he heard someone whispering his name. Rose gave him a questioning look while he looked around for the owner of the voice.

"Okay, someone is definitely playing games with us and that's something I don't like," he said.

The guards stopped them in front of a door. They opened it and ushered them inside. John was sitting at the head of a long table and he smirked when the guards made them sit down near him, facing each other. John nodded to the guards and they left and closed the door.

"We meet again," John said.

"Ah yes, the old cliché villain thing to say," the Doctor said. "What's next in your cliché repertoire? I will make you beg for mercy? You'll never escape me? Perhaps you should grow a Fu Manchu mustache so you can twirl it while you laugh in a cheesy way."

"And this is the man you want to spend your lives with?" John said to Rose.

"Yes, it is," Rose said. "I would have been willing to spend my life with you as well if you hadn't gone and done all this."

"Oh puh-leeze, we've been through this before. You had no intention of being faithful to me, the leaf necklace proves that."

"So…now you're going to kill us?" Rose said.

"No. I was going to siphon off your lives and leave you with just the one so I can watch you grow old and die in front of me," John said.

"And you still believe the Valeyard will allow you to become all powerful?" the Doctor said.

John looked like he was about to say something but he glanced up at the ceiling and remained silent. The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Being watched are we? Can't say what we'd like to say for fear of angering the boss man?" the Doctor said mockingly. "Perhaps if you whispered what you're thinking in my ear. Worked with Rose, didn't it?"

"I defer to the Valeyard in all things," John said.

"Really? I thought you were running the show here," the Doctor said. "Now, you're graciously deferring to someone else? Doesn't sound like an all powerful tyrant to me. Perhaps you need to go toTyrantUniversity. I'm sure there's one somewhere. Come on, mate, stand up to the boss man and say what you're really thinking. Is it something along the lines of once I become the most powerful thing imaginable I'm gonna make my partner snuff it? Is that what you're reluctant to say?"

"You think you know everything, don't you?"

"I know I know everything but that's just little old me being modest," the Doctor said smugly. "At least I have the guts to say what I really mean in the presence of my enemies. Such as…John, you're smelly and you have bad acne and you have really crooked teeth. See, I have no problem voicing my thoughts aloud. Now how 'bout you? Are you brave enough to say what you really want to say when the Junkyard is watching us?"

He smirked when John silently glowered at him.

"You don't know everything," John growled.

"So you said earlier," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Care to elaborate on what I don't know?"

He and Rose shared a look when John glanced up at the ceiling again.

"Don't resist," John mouthed to the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor was genuinely confused. He was about to ask John to elaborate on what was going on when John suddenly got up and called for the guards. The Doctor and Rose shared a look as the guards came inside the room.

"Follow them," John said, pointing to the guards.

"John?" Rose said. "What's going on?"

"Follow them," John said emphatically, giving her a pointed look.

"Do as he says, Rose," the Doctor said, touching her elbow.

Rose took the Doctor's hand when he came up beside her and they followed the guards out of the room. The door closed behind him and John was about to leave when he felt someone grab his arm and wrench it up behind his back. He grunted when an invisible force shoved him over the table and his head slammed onto the wooden surface.

"Hello, John," Pete's disembodied voice said. "Let's talk privately. So tell me what's going on and where the Doctor and Rose are being taken before I break your arm off."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

"D'ya ever get tired of being hustled back and forth through this building?" the Doctor said to Rose while they followed the guards. "I'd like a proper tour of Torchwood, not just corridors and interrogation rooms."

"Doctor, what's going on? With John, I mean," Rose said.

"Dunno. But I'm thinking the "You don't know everything" is significant. Perhaps things aren't what they seem here. Seems like there's a power play at the very least. I think my clone is thinking about doing the Valeyard in and doesn't want him to know it. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage. You didn't hear that, of course," the Doctor said to the guards.

They didn't respond or look at him and the Doctor shrugged and gave Rose's hand a squeeze.

The guards led them to another room. They opened the door and the Doctor stiffened when he saw a large metal tube with a door carved in the front of it. Various wires and cables snaked out the back to a control panel on the left side of the room. Beside the tube, the Valeyard stood, smirking at them.

"I assume you know what this is, judging by your reaction," he said, gesturing to the tube.

"Suspended animation chamber," the Doctor said.

"So this is it then. We're going to be put to sleep," Rose said.

"Only for a little while. Until I can harvest you," the Valeyard said.

"You? I thought John was going to get our lives," the Doctor said.

The Valeyard snorted.

"That little egomaniac isn't about to become more powerful than me," he said.

"See, Rose? I was right! I was right about the betrayer being betrayed. I'm made of awesome," the Doctor said.

Rose tried not to laugh at the annoyed look on the Valeyard's face.

"I now know where the clone gets his arrogance from," he said to the Doctor. "Here you are, at my mercy and you're being flippant."

"Yup, that's me, Mister Flippant," the Doctor said. "I like to make a joke or two while I'm in danger. Keeps things interesting and keeps the villains on their toes since they don't know when I'm going to turn deadly serious. And trust me; you wouldn't like it when I'm deadly serious because people tend to suffer then."

The Valeyard rolled his eyes at the Doctor's menacing look.

"You'll forgive me if I'm not scared at that," he said.

He ordered the guards to watch them while he walked over to the control panel. While he was there, the Doctor heard the door open. He looked over his shoulder and saw John enter the room. The Valeyard glanced over his shoulder and pointed to the Doctor and Rose.

"Watch them while I do this. I'm preparing to send them to sleep. Make sure they don't do anything while my back is turned."

Without closing the door, John walked over to them. The Valeyard turned his head around and began pushing buttons and flipping switches on the console. The Doctor looked at John and John put his finger to his lips, shushing them before he pretended to scratch his cheek to hide what he just did. The Doctor raised his eyebrow when Rose looked at him and he winked back at her. A smile spread over his face when the realization of what was happening struck him.

"John?" Rose mouthed to him. "Are you on our side?"

John smiled and put his finger to his lips and shushed her again. The Doctor and Rose shared a gleeful look before they went back to being passive. The Valeyard pushed another button and the chamber door slid open revealing a stark white interior. The Valeyard turned around and frowned when he noticed the door was left open.

"Do you mind closing that? I don't want the rest of Torchwood to know what we're doing," he said to John.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to close it, how careless of me," John said.

The Valeyard rolled his eyes when John turned and walked over to the door. While John was doing that, the Doctor felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him but nobody was touching him.

"Doctor," Pete's whispered in his ear, "don't speak. I have a cloaking device on and so does Jack, River, Amy and Rory. John freed them and now we're all in the room. Just don't let on that you know we're here and we'll do the rest."

The Doctor nodded quickly to show he understood. John came up beside the Doctor and the Valeyard ordered him to put the Doctor and Rose into the tube. The Doctor shared a glance with his clone and he and Rose walked with John to the tube.

"Get in," John growled at them. "And don't cause any trouble!"

"Come on, Rose. We don't have any choice," the Doctor said.

They both got inside the tube and turned to the front. John watched them and quickly winked as he closed the door.

"Is this it?" Rose said softly as she looked around at the lighted interior, "are we really going to be frozen?"

"Doubt it," the Doctor said before he whispered to her what Pete told him.

When he pulled away, Rose had a huge grin on his face.

"I wondered if Dad would come back to help," she said softly. "So John's been on our side all along?"

"Seems so. He probably pretended to be evil to lure the Valeyard into a trap. I'm sure he allowed you to escape in the hopes you'd find me and…"

He shut up when they heard muffled yells outside the tube. They flinched when something thudded up against the tube.

"Apparently, there's a battle going on outside the door," the Doctor said.

"And you're upset that you're in here?" Rose said.

"Very," the Doctor said.

He looked at the door but it had no handle. He tried to slide it open and cursed when he couldn't.

"Ah well, guess I'll just stand here until someone frees us," he said while they listened to the sounds of battle.

They heard a muffled gunshot and the Valeyard's pained yell and the Doctor widened his eyes.

"Jack or River did that, any bets on which one?" he said.

"Um…Jack," Rose said.

"Fiver?" the Doctor said.

"No."

"Why not?" the Doctor said.

"You didn't pay me the last time I won," Rose said.

"When was that?"

"We are not amused? Remember?"

"No, she said I am not amused, it's not the same so I don't have to pay up."

"Yeah, right, you're just sore that she actually said it and proved ya wrong," Rose said.

The battle sounds ceased and the Doctor and Rose turned their attention to the door.

"Oi!" the Doctor said, pounding on the door. "We want out now! Kindly open the door!"

The door slid open and John grinned at them.

"After you," he said, stepping aside.

"So…you were being sneaky, is that it?" the Doctor said as he and Rose stepped down.

"Course I was. It's second nature to me, especially since I have a bit of Donna in me," John said.

The Doctor looked around. Everyone was visible now. The guards were lying around the room, knocked out while the Valeyard lay by the console, a bullet hole in his stomach. He gasped for air as the Doctor and Rose walked over to him.

"Well, seems you underestimated everyone," the Doctor said to the Valeyard. "You shoulda made Pete come with us when you had the chance but you didn't and here you are, lying on the floor bleeding. It seems your arrogance was your undoing. You not only underestimated us but John as well. My clone played you like a fiddle."

"I'll get you, I'll get you all," the Valeyard gasped.

He tried to rise but River ran over and pointed her revolver at him.

"Stay there or get another bullet in the gut," she said.

"Did you shoot him?" the Doctor said to her.

"Yeah, why?" River said.

"I win, pay up," the Doctor said to Rose.

"Pay up? We didn't agree to the bet," Rose said.

"Pay up anyway in recognition of my rightness," the Doctor said.

Rose looked at his outstretched hand. She reached into her jean pocket, found some fuzz and put it in his hand.

"There. I paid up," she said before she hurried away.

"I can see why you two are best mates. The two of you are extremely cheeky," the Doctor said to River while she chuckled.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five

"You better be glad that Rory is a nurse and he's merciful," the Doctor said as Jack laid the injured Valeyard in one of the cells in the TARDIS. "He stopped the bleeding and stabilized you, even though he didn't have to."

"And what are you going to do to me?" the Valeyard said.

"Dunno. But you're not staying here. You're going to be put somewhere where you can't harm anyone any more," the Doctor said. "I believe I will take you to a hospital for the criminally insane though so they can patch you up. This is my way of showing you mercy, even though you don't deserve it."

"I'll find you again and I'll make you suffer, you and your friends," the Valeyard said.

The Doctor snorted and sealed the cell so he couldn't escape. He gave the Valeyard a disdainful look through the impenetrable Crylon plastic that covered the entrance before he walked off.

Meanwhile, the others met in the kitchen for some tea and coffee. Jack and Pete were at the back chatting quietly while the others sat at the kitchen table. Rose looked over her shoulder at them and saw Jack talking animatedly while Pete listened. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked back at John. He beckoned for her to follow him and she took her coffee mug and followed him out of the kitchen. He led her into the living room and told her to sit down on the sofa. They sat down and John took her hand.

"First I want to apologize for the rough treatment," he said. "I had to do that as part of the act so the Valeyard wouldn't suspect something."

"I understand," Rose said. "I'm not angry at ya."

"Good. Secondly, I wanted to say goodbye."

"Goodbye, where are you going?" Rose said.

"I'm staying here. I understand how deeply you love the Doctor and how deeply he loves you. The leaf tells me that much. So I'm not going to stand in your way. I'm going to stay here while you go back with him."

"John, wait!" Rose said. "Don't stay here."

"Rose, it won't work out between us. Your heart is with him. I can't be his replacement and it's not fair to you or me to be in a relationship. I'll be fine, I promise. I know you worry about me and him being alone but I can handle it. I just want you to be happy."

"But I don't want you to stay here," Rose said. "Even if we're not a couple, I want to be friends. Take Jack's offer and join his team and that way I can visit you when the Doctor stops at the rift. You can do so much more with Jack's team than being here by yourself. Take the coral and go to Cardiff , yeah?"

John thought that over.

"You sure you want me to do that?" he said.

"Yes. I want to keep on being friends with you. You don't belong here. Come back to the other universe and help protect Earth."

"What's to stop Jack from raping me?"

Rose was shocked by that question and then chuckled when John winked.

"Um, your hands over your bum?" she said.

John stood up and put his hands over his buttocks.

"So…this is how I'll live at Torchwood, just perpetually like this," he said, walking around in front of Rose while she giggled. "Or put a sign back there that says no entry."

"There ya go," Rose said.

John sat back down and took Rose's hand.

"If you want me to do this, I'll take Jack's offer. Even if I do have to walk around with my hands over my bum," he said.

Rose giggled and kissed his forehead.

"You could always date River," Rose said.

"I thought Jack was doing that. I watched you lot on the CCTV camera and I saw Jack flirting with her."

"You could both date her?" Rose said with a shrug.

"Wow, Torchwood will be an interesting place to work if me and Jack are both bonking River. Beats having to listen to Jackie natter on about stuff."

John stopped talking when he saw the Doctor walk by the doorway. He called him into the room and told him what was going on.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the Doctor said when he finished. "Rose and I did agree to keep our other relationships while you and River are still alive."

"Nah," John said, holding up his hand. "I'm not interested in doing that. As long as Rose wants me to be a friend, I'll be happy with that and stay with Jack at Torchwood."

"Then I wish you the best of luck. The Earth will be a lot safer with you there," the Doctor said, shaking his hand. "Don't know about River joining you. She's at Stormcage for murdering someone."

"I'll speak to Jack about that. Maybe the two of us can speak to the wardens and get her paroled with us as her guardians. She can fight and she's needed far more on the Earth than in prison."

"I hope so. I am fond of her and prison isn't the right place for her. Besides, maybe Rose is right. Maybe you can take my place with her. She's a very loving person and it will technically still be me that she's dating. Just nudge her a bit in your direction, eh?"

"I might have to pull Jack off her but I'll make an effort at a relationship."

"Good," the Doctor said. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes," John said.

"If you don't mind, I want to have some private time with Rose. The TARDIS is finding a gap in the universe right now and she'll alert us if she finds it."

"You go ahead. I'll go back to the kitchen and rejoin the others," John said.

"Brilliant. Rose, I thought I'd go ahead and give you the surprise I promised."

"Surprise?" John said. "May I ask…"

"I want to do the A'tiari ritual with her," the Doctor said.

"Oh!" John said, his eyes widening in understanding.

Rose looked at the two Doctors and saw a knowing look pass between them.

"A'tiari, what's that?"

"Come with me and find out," the Doctor said.

Rose put her coffee mug on the table beside the sofa and took his hand before standing up. The Doctor winked at John and he chuckled before the Doctor led Rose out of the room.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

"A'tiari?" Rose said as the Doctor led her down a corridor. "Sounds exotic."

"So…the Bad Wolf didn't install any Gallifreyan history in your mind when it changed you," the Doctor said.

"Apparently not," Rose said.

"Here we are," the Doctor said, stopping at a door.

He opened it and Rose smiled when she recognized the Butterfly room. She followed the Doctor inside and he shut the door behind her. He led her back to their blanket and they sat down together.

"Thought this would be the perfect place to do the ritual," the Doctor said.

"So…are you going to put me to sleep again?" Rose said.

"On the contrary, you're going to be very much awake for this one," the Doctor said. "This is a very ancient ritual so I'm going to have to give you a bit of history on it since you don't know anything about it."

"Okay, go on," Rose said.

"Wow, you actually want me to ramble on, that's new," the Doctor teased. "Well, to start at the beginning, Gallifrey wasn't always the home of the Time Lords. Before our kind were made, there was a woman who ruled called the Pythia. She was an oracle and saw the future and was very powerful and she ruled Gallifrey with an iron hand until Rassilon rose up and defeated her with the help of two others. After the rebellion, Rassilon deposed the Pythia and executed her but before she died, she supposedly placed a curse on our kind that made us infertile."

Rose raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

"So…whether or not that's true, I'm incapable of procreation and if you're a Time Lady, you're also infertile so I hope you weren't planning to have children."

"With the life I lead? Where would they grow up?" Rose said.

"I agree. But getting back to the point, even though I am infertile, I still have my bits down here," he said, pointing to his crotch. "Now…this rebellion happened millennia ago, ages and ages have passed since the age of Rassilon and my people learned to procreate through a machine called the Loom. Couples who wanted a baby donated their genetic material. They were combined in a machine and a bit of genetic programming was added to make a Gallifreyan. Now there were ordinary Gallifreyans and then there were Time Lords who were specialized Gallifreyan. I was bred specifically for time travel. That path was chosen for me before I was even born."

Unlike some other times, Rose was actually interested in the Doctor's rambling, especially since he rarely talked about his past or his home world. She remained silent and the Doctor continued on.

"Over time, rituals developed among my people in the same way that humans have their rituals. One ritual involved the bonding of a couple who were very much in love and wanted to demonstrate that love physically. So eventually the programmers began to genetically modify the Gallifreyans so they could perform a very special ritual called A'tiari which roughly translates as essence bonding. Me and, if all goes well, you will share our essences through sex and physical contact."

He took her hand when Rose gave him a shocked look.

"Is that alright?" he said, suddenly hesitant.

"Have sex with you? Are you kidding?" Rose said.

"Well good, I won't do this without your consent, you understand. I just thought since you and I were going to be together that we should make it formal."

"Will anyone be able to see anything after we've done this?" Rose said.

"What d'ya mean? Will you turn purple or something like that?"

"Yeah."

"No, not outwardly. This is merely a ritualized thing. You will take some of my essence into me through my ejaculation and if you are able to do it, you will secrete a filmy substance through your torso that I will lick up and absorb. It's just a thing lovers used to do."

"Even if I don't secrete the filmy substance, will you still lick my body?" Rose said.

The Doctor pretended to consider that while Rose giggled.

"Aw, what the hell, I can give it a shot," the Doctor said, throwing up his hands while Rose laughed harder. "It'll be a hardship but I'll be a real trooper and lick your body all over."

He kissed Rose's cheek and they began to disrobe. The Doctor eyed Rose when she grabbed his bow tie a little too eagerly, took it off and threw it far away from them.

"Just so you know, the bow tie will be back around my neck after we're done."

"Bollocks, I thought that would be a clue that I don't want it back around your neck," Rose teased.

They finished undressing each other and the Doctor had Rose lay back on the blanket. Butterflies flapped around them while the Doctor settled back on his haunches. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes while Rose watched with silent curiosity. He meditated for a few minutes and then opened his eyes.

"Very zen," Rose said.

"That was me sending a mental signal to my loins that I'm doing the ritual," the Doctor said. "Semen isn't coming out of my penis but it's the same sort of consistency and it's my genetic material but not in sperm form. Think of it as a warm DNA soup."

"Warm?" Rose said.

The Doctor grinned and positioned himself over her.

"Very warm. Trust me, you'll feel warm all over once I'm through."

Rose smiled at the thought and she readied herself. She moaned softly when the Doctor ran his finger in and out of her vagina. He stopped when he felt her wetness and positioned himself. He slid into her and Rose moaned at the feel of him inside her. She was prepared for him to make love to her and frowned when he didn't do anything further. The Doctor held up his finger when he saw her confusion.

"All I need is one thrust to do this," he said. "My body is readying itself for that."

Rose suddenly felt his penis become warmer inside her.

"Oh God, that feels so good," she moaned when it became hotter.

"What? My penis?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, it feels nice and hot inside me."

"That's the start of it. Okay, I'm ready. Are you?"

"Yes, please," Rose moaned.

The Doctor took a deep breath and grunted as he expelled his essence inside her. Rose gasped when she felt a warm sensation inside her that began to spread from her groan up into her body. The Doctor put his hand behind her neck and kissed her cheek while Rose closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of the warm sensation coursing through her body.

"Oh God, that feels sooo good," she moaned as the warmth spread to her arms and legs.

Then she felt a sudden stickiness on her body as if something was oozing through her pores.

"Ah!" the Doctor said. "You're doing it. Good."

Rose opened her eyes and tilted her head up. She noticed her torso was slick and wet looking.

"Is that it? My essence?" she said, pointing to it.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said. "This alone is proof that you are a Time Lady."

"Oh good," Rose said, laying her head back on the blanket.

She moaned when the Doctor began to lick at her breasts and around her neck, lapping up the slick substance that now coated her torso. She writhed and moaned as he licked her body all over, getting up as much of the film as he could. He pulled out of her and continued to lick down her body to her groin. Rose's eyes rolled back, her mind in complete ecstasy from his tongue and the heat that still coursed through her body. He finished licking her body and moved his tongue down. Rose gasped when he began oral sex and she arched her neck and ran her fingers through his hair while he continued to caress her with his tongue. Rose felt herself coming close to orgasm and she felt like she would lose her mind while he continued his ministrations.

"You belong with me, Rose," the Doctor said while he came up for air. "You are my lives mate and this seals our bond."

"Oh yes, yes," Rose moaned. "I'm yours forever."

"Good because I have to go pee now. Be right back!"

"Don't you dare leave now!" Rose said and laughed when the Doctor gave her a cheeky grin.

"I wondered what your reaction would be to that," he said while Rose playfully swatted his head. "Well, back to business."

Rose moaned when he went back to his ministrations. He kept it up until Rose finally climaxed, screaming his name in ecstasy while she came. The Doctor grinned and slid up beside her while Rose recovered from her orgasm.

"Well, now that I'm done, I can go fetch River and tell her all about this," the Doctor said.

"You better not!" Rose said.

She laughed at the wink and the cheeky grin and turned to her side, facing the Doctor while he put his arm around her and rubbed her back.

"I need a shower now to get this sticky stuff off my body," Rose said. "You didn't get it all."

"I could always have another go and finish the job," the Doctor said, slowly rubbing her back.

"Hmm, no objections from me," Rose said.

"Or…I could go get River and make her watch while I finish the job."

"You really do have a death wish, don't ya?" Rose said.

"Yeah, I think I do," the Doctor said. "Actually, I wonder who would be more devastated, River or Jack?"

"Um…Jack."

"Fiver?"

Rose laughed.

"You're bound and determined to make me bet on something again," she said.

"I wanna win this time. Oh wait, I did win last time since she didn't say "We" so I wanna win again," he said. "Actually, I should have made you bet on who shot the Valeyard since I won that one."

"You know, even though you've changed, there are still some things that stay the same no matter what body you land up in."

"That's because deep down to the core, I'll always be me and I am a cheeky bugger," the Doctor said.

"No argument from me," Rose said.

The Doctor kissed her on the lips and nuzzled her cheek before he made Rose lay on her back so he could have one more go at licking her body.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty Seven

(One month later…)

"Rory!"

Rory snickered as he ran out of their bedroom with an empty bowl. He picked up speed when Amy raced out of the room behind him, mad as a hornet.

"Rory, I swear I will get you for this!" Amy bellowed as she gave chase.

Meanwhile in the console room, the Doctor was standing at his console while Rose sat in his chair. It had been a month since the Valeyard and they were now back in their own universe. Jack had gone back to Torchwood, taking John and River with him. He had managed to sweet-talk the governor of Stormcage into granting River a parole as long as he acted as her guardian. Jack, John and River were now working with Gwen, Rhys and occasionally Mickey and Martha as Torchwood. Rose, on the other hand, had joined the Doctor full time, traveling with him, Rory and Amy. They had just returned from a visit with the governor of the maximum security prison they had taken the Valeyard to in order to make sure that he was still there and wasn't posing any threat and now the Doctor was trying to figure out where to go next.

"Rory, damn it! Get back here!"

The Doctor and Rose looked at the back door when Rory sped through it and hurried down the stairs.

"What's going on?" the Doctor said as he ran past the console.

"I'm about to be murdered, that's what's going on," Rory said, going down the front stairs while Amy burst through the back door.

"Damn it, get back here!"

"Whoa, whoa!" the Doctor said, hurrying over and blocking her pursuit. "What's going on?"

"That bastard snuck up behind me and dumped a bowlful of ice cubes down my shirt!" Amy said, thrusting her finger at Rory.

Rose laughed when the Doctor shot her a "Why me?" look before turning his attention back to Amy.

"Pond," the Doctor said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I know you're angry but murdering your husband over a bowl of ice cubes is really bad form. Not to mention I don't want to clean up the mess so just calm down and go have some fish fingers and custard…or some tea," the Doctor said when Amy made a face at that. "Have a nice cup of tea and calm down so you don't annihilate Rory, okay?"

"Rory, I will get back at you for this! Count on it!" Amy said before she turned on her heels and went back up the stairs.

"Rory. If I were you, I'd give your wife some extra loving tonight before you find your eyeballs on a fork," he said to Rory as he came back up the stairs.

"Trust me, I intend on doing just that," Rory said.

"Excellent. Well, now that's sorted. You can help us pick out a place to go. Okay?"

Rory nodded and the Doctor looked at Rose. She giggled when he rolled his eyes and then turned his attention to the console.

THE END.


End file.
